Internal Flame
by Alex Ultra
Summary: Well I suck at summaries, but basically Alex has lots of problems and ends up in the dbz world.  There she learns a bunch of new things and is pretty much forced into staying ('cause she has no choice).  HAHA!!  NEW CHAPTER!!
1. Before

Hey y`alls, I said I'd do an 'Origin of Alex' and now I am... okay, maybe I won't be writing most of it, instead you'll be getting it from the one who lived it. Which means that Alex will be narrating it from here, but I will be popping in every once in a while to tell you some things she don't know.  
  
Alex: Yep, I'm writing this. Well, actually, I guess I'm telling him what to write 'cause I don't think I can stand it. Hehe ^.^  
  
Alex Ultra: Well, that's disappointing, oh well, it looks like I'm stuck writing this after all...  
  
Alex: You're not writing it, you're just telling them what I said!  
  
Alex Ultra: And writing it...  
  
Alex: Right!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Sigh] *_*  
  
Alex: Now, what am I telling you?  
  
Alex Ultra: *_*  
  
Alex: Why don't you just tell it and I'll do the acting part?  
  
Alex Ultra: Uhhhhhh, yeah...  
  
Alex: Great! When does it start?  
  
Alex Ultra: Before you first... uh, changed...  
  
Alex: O.o... ... oh, well then, we'll probably need a temp...  
  
Alex Ultra: Well, at least I can write it like it was from Alex's POV. Oh, and just so you don't get the wrong idea, believe it or not, Alex starts this story as an 18 year old boy. That's right, boy. Don't bash it until you know the story though, there is a reason for her, uh, change. And no, it was not of her choice either so don't get that idea.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own dbz or it's world, but I do own the characters mentioned in this chapter, Kinkilla and Alex (by whatever name, all the same)  
  
~~~~~~*** BEFORE ***~~~~~~  
  
What was the year? I can't remember.  
  
What was the place? I never did memorize my address.  
  
What was my name? It's Alex now, but I can't remember what I used to be called. Although back then I had a first and a last name. Now it's just a first name.  
  
But I can tell you this, although I can't remember these things, I can remember what happened on that day, all those years ago...  
  
~~~~~~  
  
I suppose it started because I liked DragonBall Z so much. I tried to fashion my life around it, though that's going a bit far. But I wasn't very strong, I had my natural strength and that was it. But that was okay for me; I didn't want to focus on physical strength, which was perhaps why I was forced to change my name, because I rather focused on my ki or spiritual energy-slash-power. It was my obsession to finally realize the powers I knew I was capable of. And that is the note on which my story begins...  
  
~~~~~~  
  
One day I was just sitting in bed around 8:00 PM, not that I was tired I just liked my solitude. And like many days when I found a spare moment, I began focusing my ki. I would bring my hands together and lightly touch my fingertips together. Usually I avoided stressing any muscles, save my forehead or part of my arm that just wouldn't calm down.  
  
Recently the intensity of the power I had been feeling/gathering had been rising, not sharply, but noticeably at least.  
  
It kind of started in my stomach and spreaded, for me it seemed to be better pronounced in the less sensitive areas like the arms and legs, go figure, I'm sure there's a reason for it, but at the time I really couldn't care less.  
  
But anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah! I was focusing. (I don't like to call it meditating 'cause it makes me sound like a monk or something, and I've never had any training of any sort. I just kind of taught myself.)  
  
After I had gathered a good sum I began (I use the term loosely 'cause at the time I had little real control) to pull it into my hands in yet another attempt at creating a visible ki ball. The entire time I could feel my ki going there, I could feel the pressure and heat often associated with it. Sometimes it felt like my hands might just blow or even just ignite into flames!  
  
After a short while I looked between my hands and saw nothing. My hands felt as if they were on fire (again) and my head was ready to burst! But still, I could not get all that energy to leave my skin and go where I wanted.  
  
In frustration, I put my hands to my sides and sighed, staring at the ceiling.  
  
I felt, no, I knew that I was close! I could feel it just below my skin and could feel it trying to get out, like when you drop your hands off the bed and all the blood rushes to them... except this was over my head.  
  
Sometimes, when I was really bored I would practice trying to develop and attack (like Goku's Kamehameha wave, you know, he could do that long before he could do ki-blasts), and although I never actually did it, I still knew I could.  
  
...  
  
...  
  
Uh... Where was I?  
  
SMACK!!!  
  
*_* Oh, yeah!!!  
  
Well, anyway, there I was staring at the ceiling, (I got off subject, didn't I? I do that a lot, I don't know why... SMACK!!! OW! Oh! Sorry...) brooding on why I couldn't make ki-balls. It was like being just out of reach and knowing that if you just had a stool (so to speak) you could reach it.  
  
"RRRRRRRaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!" Frustrated, I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I was mad, no at anyone or anything in particular, I just didn't know what else to do. It hurt me that I was that close, but it always seemed so... impossible.  
  
So, rather than beating myself up about it, I did something about it. Not that I expected anything from it, but for some reason it made me feel better, I went outside, looked for the first star of the night, and made a wish.  
  
Mostly out of fear of looking silly, but also because I felt no need to yell, I spoke to the stars in a fairly conversational tone. First I said the "Star light, star bright" rhyme I had used so many times, then I made my wish.  
  
"You know, all I really want at this point, is for someone to show me how. Y'know, how to use ki. I want to be able to use energy, but I want no more help than for someone to show me how. I want to do the hard part on my own, or else I won't appreciate it." Big breath. "So, I guess my wish is this: I wish someone from the DragonBall Z universe would come here. I don't really care too much who it is, just the one who is most likely to help me to unlock my power. The one who will push me past my limit to unlock all my power. I just want it brought out. So, if there's any way you can help, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks."  
  
I was still looking at the sky, just getting ready to go to bed (this stuff makes me tired). But just before I had made up my mind to go, I saw a shooting star, and I laughed to myself. A couple minutes later and I could have made my wish to both the first star, and a shooting star, together. 'Oh, well. Nothing I can do now.' And I went to my room, again. Of course, having made wishes to the stars many times before, I went to bed, with no real hope of having my wish being granted.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Pan to an empty plain-land bordered by mountains on one side and farmland on the other.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The ground seems to shake and space seemed to distort for no particular reason. No one is around to notice it and the Z fighters are all asleep. While it is day here, it is midnight where they are. So overall, no one even knows anything is happening.  
  
The distortion seems to get worse and worse until it becomes a practical black hole, no bigger than a man. The only difference is that this doesn't seem to be sucking on anything; rather, a face soon pokes out of what serves as a border for an undefined hole.  
  
Soon, an entire body emerges from the hole and Kinkilla dispersed the hole.  
  
Kinkilla looked at his surroundings and smiles to himself, laughing slightly with a voice that any dbz fan would mistake for Frieza, he said, "Finally, yet again, I get to kill those stupid monkeys." Then he laughs yet again, spending so much time laughing that he doesn't even notice that something is wrong.  
  
He smiles yet again, showing his blood-red teeth, and before he even knows what happened, he is taken directly out of the area where he was. That's right, it sounds like he's the guy.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
I was just about to go to bed when I heard some kind of crash from just outside my room. (I lived in a basement so you can imagine what might have been knocked over ^.^) So, out of conscience, I went to check on it. 'Probably just the cats again...' Of course, I was definitely not prepared for what happened next. I would have never thought that my life would take the direction it was about to take.  
  
And, needless to say, I was soon regretting that wish I made.  
  
~~~~~~*** END OF CHAPTER 1 ***~~~~~~  
  
Alex: Was that okay? I sure hope I didn't screw it up...  
  
Alex Ultra: You did fine, for not lifting a finger to help...  
  
Alex: Oh! I'm so glad! I was afraid that I might screw up. You know, like I didn't make you put in enough drama or something.  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah............  
  
Well, anyways, how was it? Don't worry, all things will become clear eventually so don't worry. Also, don't forget to TELL ME what you think of this story at some point. I won't mind too much for this chapter because it was kind of short, but I would at least like to have two reviews by the end of the next chapter. 


	2. Not Frieza

Guess what? I've got Chapter 2 out!!!  
  
Oh, I guess you knew that. Well let me tell you now.  
  
You're in for a heavy-hitting treat!  
  
Even while writing this I nearly broke out in tears myself. (Individual results not guaranteed.)  
  
Disclaimer: Yo, I don't own DBZ, though it doesn't really matter too much yet, but you never know...  
  
Claimer: Alex, Kinkilla, and any other characters I introduce belong to only two people. Me and themselves. ^.^  
  
Alex: Why'd you put that there?  
  
Alex Ultra: 'Cause I felt like it.  
  
Alex: Oh.  
  
Alex Ultra: By the way, if you don't know where chapter one ended, then you won't really know where chapter two starts. Will you?  
  
Alex: I don't know, there are some psychics out there ya know...  
  
Alex Ultra: -_-  
  
Here's chapter 2, hope ya like it!  
  
~~~~~~*** NOT FRIEZA ***~~~~~~  
  
What in the world? Who is this guy?  
  
I had opened the door only to find an oddity. Where before I had expected to find a cat or my brother, instead I found some strange, alien-looking creature sprawled out on some boxes.  
  
"What's going on down there?" Oh, right, 8:30, everyone's still awake. That was my dad by the way.  
  
"Nothing!" I tried to sound as if I had knocked that stuff over, mostly because I must have thought I was dreaming or... something...  
  
I lowered my voice to a whisper and addressed the strange creature in front of me. "Okay, you, let's see what you look like." Flip. I turned on the light.  
  
At first glance I didn't know what to think of him. Host of him was jet- black, except for big, blood-red areas on his shoulders that reminded me of shoulder pads, and on the sides of his head.  
  
Strangely, his face looked familiar...  
  
...  
  
...  
  
... (Don't you just love suspense?)  
  
I know! I know who he looks like!  
  
He looks like Frieza with a makeover!  
  
"Unh..." The one who looks like Frieza (A/N: now I'll just call him Frieza until she (or he, whatever...) learns what his name really is... you'll see what'll come of it...) groaned as he came to, showing his long, razor- sharp, blood-red teeth.  
  
He then opened his eyes, those cold, angry eyes. I'll never forget the eyes. Where they should be white, instead there was the same hard, jet- black color as the rest of his skin, and the irises were the same red color as his teeth. All in all, he looked more evil than scary.  
  
It was his attitude that made him scary...  
  
Before I even knew what had happened he stood up and angrily yelled, "Alright! Who did that!?"  
  
"H-huh? I-I don't... know. I was just about to go to bed, I heard a crash and found you here." He only humphed, looking at me with submissive anger, somehow, he must have felt like he deserved more information.  
  
And somehow, I felt obligated to say something. "Y-You know..." I looked him over, "you kind of look like Frieza..." Maybe that was the wrong thing to say...  
  
Almost immediately his eyes opened wide and he (for lack of better word) spazzed out! "I AM NOT FRIEZA!!! Frieza is no more! Frieza was weak and I am strong!!!" I could tell that he was lost in his own mind. But he soon calmed down and smiled at me, which made me uncomfortable because it was that kind of smile you always see just before someone dies. "You know... I don't think I'll kill you just yet. You've managed to anger me so I think I'll kill everyone else instead. And by the way," his smile became even more scary, "my name is Kinkilla. Ha ha!!"  
  
Oh, great! What am I going to do now!? And did I bring him here?! He's already gone through the floor to the Living room so I haven't got much time, but, what can I do to someone who's stronger than Frieza?  
  
~~~~~~  
  
The crack of the floor brought everyone out to where he rose through it. "No! Please!? Don't!" He looked side-eyed at me, and only snickered as he extended his hand and opened his palm.  
  
"Now who should I kill first?" I can't remember what anyone else said, bit I'm sure it was something like "Hey! Who are you?" and, "How did you get in here?" and I think I heard the word "Kill?"  
  
"No, stop!" I could only beg, but it didn't matter, he wasn't listening.  
  
"Oh! Man! No way!" The only other one in the house who watched DBZ, and he knew what came next. So he was the first to die.  
  
I was shocked, I could only manage to choke out, "No!"  
  
Encouraged by my reaction he quickly killed them all.  
  
Brother, sister, mother, father. All gone, right before my eyes.  
  
He saw my reaction, snickered again, powered up (destroying the whole house) and flew into the sky, laughing loudly now.  
  
I was left there, alone. More alone now than before. Before I was lonely. Now I was alone.  
  
Kinkilla laughed loudly as he went to systematically destroying each house in my small town. One-by-one, each house was incinerated.  
  
But I wasn't there, I was alone, the pictures of the houses seeming to come to me from a distance.  
  
All Dead.  
  
My Fault.  
  
All Dead.  
  
My Fault.  
  
Why?  
  
Then it struck me... Kinkilla would have killed them all anyway. I could see it in his eyes. Angering him only meant that he was making me live through it! He lived for the sole purpose of killing. The lives of others meant nothing to him. And it was up to me.  
  
Suddenly all the events around me, the exploding houses, the falling trees, the people!  
  
I heard the sirens of the police car (we only had one...) and cringed as I heard the reports of his pitiful little handgun that was his entire arsenal. I could feel the tears burning their way into my eyes. ... GEEZE!!! I hadn't cried since the fifth grade!  
  
But this was different... this was people being senselessly killed, and totally helpless to stop it!  
  
"AAAAHHHH!!!"  
  
The officer's tortured scream pierced into my heart, and something told me that I had to do... well, something.  
  
Faster than I knew I could, I stood up, and prepared to confront Kinkilla, and probably die. But the sound of an unfamiliar voice stopped me.  
  
"Wow! Hey, can I get your autograph?"  
  
~~~ Kinkilla's POV ~~~  
  
Yes, I saw that boy. He wanted me to sign his notebook...  
  
IMPUDENT DISTRACTIONS!!! I have no time to sign my name for a dead man!  
  
Perhaps it was because I was angry with the boy. Maybe that was why I used a little too much ki. So far I had been careful not to kill the boy who had insulted me.  
  
I looked at him as I aimed for Idiot (you know who). His wide eyes accentuated by the tears running down his ugly little face.  
  
BOOOOOOOMM!!!  
  
I blasted slightly too hard, judging by the power levels of these people, I thought I had killed them both.  
  
Pity, I wasn't finished torturing him... oh, well.  
  
~~~ Me again ~~~  
  
"No." I could only whisper it, over and over. My anger was reaching its limit.  
  
Perhaps that's what saved me.  
  
BOOOOOOOMM!!!  
  
His blast nearly killed me, but somehow, like when Gohan managed to crack Raditz's armor, my pure anger allowed me to call enough ki to protect myself. Though I didn't really realize it...  
  
I only knew that I needed to confront him, before he killed anybody else.  
  
"KINKILLAAAAAA!!! Does it really please you to kill everyone you SEE!!!???"  
  
"Actually, boy, yes, it does! But it's not enough to simply kill them!"  
  
Shocked and confused, I could only manage to ask him what he meant.  
  
"Once I'm done with their lives. I then destroy their souls!!!" His snickers and comment struck me. Who, or what kind of monster, would deny someone their soul?!?!  
  
~~~~~~*** END OF CHAPTER 2 ***~~~~~~  
  
(Alex Ultra pulls out the tape recorder and presses 'Play', the tape recorder immediately chimes a pre-recorded message.) "How was it? Good, bad, could be better? I want to know. This message will self-destruct if Alex Ultra does not get any Reviews."  
  
Did it bring tears to your eyes? Honestly, even though I had gone through it several times in my head, I nearly broke out in tears while writing it!!!  
  
Anyway, don't be disappointed if the chapters for this story don't go one after another in postings. I wish I had that much time, but the truth is that I don't [sobs]...  
  
Alex: WWWWAAAAAHHHH!!!!  
  
Alex Ultra: What's wrong with you???  
  
Alex: It-it-it's just so sad!!!  
  
Alex Ultra: But you already knew all this stuff!!!  
  
Alex: I know! But watching you write it and-and-and I just couldn't help it!! [Continues crying uncontrollably]  
  
Alex Ultra: Uh, while I try to get Alex to calm down, why don't you check out her first story 'Hidden Power' and read her exploits there. I hope to get to the good stuff in both stories, it's true I've already got some good stuff in both of them, but neither one is as developed as I would like...  
  
~~~ Preview of next chapter ~~~  
  
"FEEDBACK!!" And suddenly, I could no longer control my own ki like I should have. I spiraled out of control, but it shouldn't have been me...  
  
~~~ Sorry, that's it... ~~~ 


	3. Unlock

I'm back, and this chapter is a doozy. It's not a teary one, but good just the same.  
  
Alex: When am 'I' gonna change?! Huh?!  
  
Alex Ultra: Soon! Be patient!  
  
Alex: But I can't wait!  
  
Alex Ultra: I said soon! Just not this chapter...  
  
Alex: Why not?  
  
Alex Ultra: Well, you're gonna change, just not THAT change...  
  
Alex: ...?  
  
Anyway, this chapter is going to be confusing. Mostly because it's going to be constantly switching between Alex's and Kinkilla's point of view. I'm mostly putting KK's comments in here in order to show how he's actually changing (him as Alex before changing).  
  
When changing point-of-views I will use three squigglies (~~~). Just remember that it will switch directly from one to the other.  
  
~~~~~~*** UNLOCK ***~~~~~~  
  
~~~ Kinkilla's POV ~~~  
  
Ah. I see the anger in his eyes. It's always so much more fun to kill a human when he's angry.  
  
They always try to fight back when they're angry.  
  
~~~  
  
Impossible! How can anyone be so heartless? How can someone kill a soul?  
  
No! I can't allow it! Even if it's the last thing I do! I will stop him! No matter what.  
  
~~~  
  
5... 6... 7...  
  
His power is pathetic! But at last it's rising!  
  
~~~  
  
Can't let him go! This can't go on!  
  
~~~  
  
11... 12...13...  
  
~~~  
  
My anger was rising. My power was coming.  
  
~~~  
  
21... 25... 29...  
  
~~~  
  
It was starting to tingle now; I could tell it was coming.  
  
~~~  
  
40... 50... 60...  
  
~~~  
  
"Aaaaahhhhh!!" The strain was starting to catch up to me, so I tried harder.  
  
~~~  
  
100... 120... 145...  
  
~~~  
  
I still wasn't there, the closer I seemed to get to my maximum the higher it went. Which only fueled my rage.  
  
~~~  
  
190... 275... 350...  
  
~~~  
  
My power kept rising, I knew it was.  
  
~~~  
  
500... 600... 700...  
  
~~~  
  
The pain was starting, now more severe. My anger was growing.  
  
~~~  
  
950... 1075... 1200... Still nothing to worry about.  
  
~~~  
  
{Ahhh!} Every joint in my body was burning!  
  
~~~  
  
1400... 1800... 2200...  
  
~~~  
  
But even if it killed me! I would not give up!  
  
~~~  
  
2900... 35000... 4400...  
  
~~~  
  
I just know my eyes must have been glowing bright white about now. My ki was flaring around me in menacing flames.  
  
~~~  
  
5700... 7300... 9800...  
  
~~~  
  
The pain was everywhere now, every fiber of my being was screaming! BUT I WILL NOT STOP!!!  
  
~~~  
  
11600... 13400... 15200...  
  
~~~  
  
{No... they were... innocent people...} Now I was shaking uncontrollably, my ki rising ever more quickly.  
  
~~~  
  
How!? 17400... 19600... 21800...  
  
~~~  
  
{... they are... innocent souls!} And my anger rose... the pain taking back seat.  
  
~~~  
  
24100... 27200... 30300... !  
  
~~~  
  
{Kinkilla! I swear that I will not rest until ONE OF US IS DEAD!!!}  
  
~~~  
  
34000... 38000... 42000...  
  
~~~  
  
I couldn't go much farther, my body simply couldn't take it! That's what I get for working my ki but not my body....  
  
~~~  
  
{He's reaching his limit.} His ki finally stopped at 68,343. Which is still a rather meager number. Though I must admit, I hadn't seen power like this coming from a human since baldy watched me kill his daughter!  
  
Ha Ha! What fun that was!  
  
But it looks like his body can't control his own power!  
  
All the more pathetic! This shouldn't take long.  
  
~~~  
  
"Hehe... Ahh!" Despite my failing body, I still had a trump-card. No matter HOW much power he had, he couldn't defend against this! That is, if it worked...  
  
"Well, here goes!" I pulled my energy into a white ball around me.  
  
~~~  
  
The structure of his energy was changing! {Preparing to attack?! I'D LIKE TO SEE MIM TRY!!!}  
  
~~~  
  
"Alright... NOW!!!" I flexed my burning muscles, "FEEDBACK!!!" And my ki started expanding outward.  
  
~~~~~~ Sorry ~~~~~~  
  
Sorry, but I have to interrupt here. I just want to describe how Feedback is supposed to work.  
  
An attack that locks-on to the first energy source it encounters then causes a feedback loop with varied results. Which means that almost anything could happen, at this point, Alex had never actually used it before...  
  
~~~~~~ Back to Alex's POV ~~~~~~  
  
"Get him! Get him!" This was a one-shot deal, I had used all my ki to make this attack, if it failed, I would be dead...  
  
"What!? What's going on?!! My energy simply stopped expanding. But it was only halfway there! It had another 25 feet left!  
  
Then I turned around, and gawked in horror.  
  
My ki seemed to be getting sucked away!  
  
It was then that I realized why... when Kinkilla came here, he must have come through some kind of gate, and it must still be there!  
  
And now my Feedback was locked onto it, pulling my ki, and me as well, back through it.  
  
I could only help to laugh. My one consolation being that I was going to the home world of Goku and the others, if nothing else, at least I could make allies... or even, a new family.  
  
I could only laugh harder as my body and my ki was sucked through the portal, sealing it.  
  
Oh, well. I didn't stand a chance against him anyway.  
  
~~~  
  
I watched as he was sucked away. Oh, well.  
  
I'll get to him eventually.  
  
But until then, I think I'll continue my killing spree...  
  
After-all, I never forget a soul...  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 3 ***~~~~~~  
  
(Alex Ultra pulls out the tape recorder and presses 'Play', the tape recorder immediately chimes a pre-recorded message.) "How was it? Good, bad, could be better? I want to know. This message will self-destruct if Alex Ultra does not get any Reviews."  
  
Well, that was murder. On my fingers I mean. All those numbers really hurt!  
  
It shouldn't take TOO long before I update again, I really like this story and want to keep going. By the way, I know where this is going, but guessing can't hurt can it? If you want to guess what happens next, go ahead.  
  
Alex decided to leave... somewhere. So I can't put our witty banter here for this chapter. Sorry! ;)  
  
(Alex enters carrying 6 boxes of pizza.)  
  
Alex: I'm back!!  
  
Alex Ultra: O_0 Uh... do you need any help?  
  
Alex: Nope! I'll just put them on the table here...  
  
Alex Ultra: \-/ But why so many!!??  
  
Alex: ^.^ 'Cause I invited Goku over!! And some of his friends!  
  
Alex Ultra: [AAAHHH!!!] But that's not enough for them!!!  
  
Alex: I know! [Points to window] Look outside...  
  
Alex Ultra: [Looks out window and sees line of semis carrying pizza.] 0_O Uhhhhh... I think I need a bigger house...  
  
Alex: [Looks around, then smiles innocently] Yeah! And you could do with some better furniture too!!  
  
Goku: WE'RE HERE!!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Sigh] Oh, noooo.  
  
While I try to deal with Goku, why don't you review and tell me what you think... 


	4. Killer Landings

Hey, I'm back for chapter 4. In this one Alex will finally land in the DBZ world, though it won't exactly be a pleasant landing.  
  
Alex: Hey, I remember that. I hated it... I think...  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, well, keep your socks on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!  
  
Alex: Are we going somewhere?  
  
Alex Ultra: ... Uh, no.  
  
This chapter is going to have a few twists, but that's okay 'cause from what I've seen so far, either I've got no readers, or my readers simply haven't reviewed! So a little bit of confusion may spur someone to review! Oh, and, PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
I do not own DBZ or any of its characters. But this plot, and Alex, Kinkilla, and any other characters I will soon introduce all belong to ME!!  
  
Alex: HEY!!  
  
~~~~~~*** KILLER LANDINGS ***~~~~~~  
  
"How strange." While still in that gate thingy I marveled at the bright lights surrounding me, though it didn't last long. Soon I saw the end of the darn thing and was (rudely) ejected from it.  
  
"Aaaahhhh!!!" I found myself about twenty feet off the ground, and I didn't know how to fly! Needless to say, I fell like a lead weight.  
  
"Oof!... OW!" Initially nothing out of the ordinary seemed obvious to me, I was in the middle of a large field between a large city and some mountains. "But, what happened to all that power?" All that power I had moments ago seemed to just, not exist anymore.  
  
"But..." But THAT MUCH power can't just DISSAPPEAR!  
  
Almost as if an answer to my questions, my power started returning, starting as a tingle. "I guess it just needed to come through that funny tunnel! Ow, I didn't think I landed that hard!" First, my legs started hurting, and at the same time, my power continued rising.  
  
And the more it rose, the more it hurt! It didn't take long for me to make the connection... but at this point there was really nothing I could do! No matter what I did it just kept coming!  
  
"AAHH!" My legs were more than just sore, THEY HURT!!! But soon my guts joined in. And it didn't take long for everything else to follow suit. I mean it HURT!!!  
  
"Uhhhh... ngh, ahhhhhhhhh! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Now the pain was simple and pure TORTURE!!!  
  
The pain was everywhere, everywhere!! From the tips of my hair to the ends of my toes, every joint, every muscle, every fiber of my being was SCREAMING IN PAIN!!! If I had been able to think straight enough I might have compared this to HELL!! Pure torturous pain flowing through my very BEING!! I thought for sure I might die... but I wasn't that lucky.  
  
Instead the pain became MORE and MORE intense with every second! As more of my power returned to me, more of the pain that adrenaline had allowed me to ignore before returned, and without a target to focus my efforts on, that pain only got worse. IT ONLY GOT WORSE!!!  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I was clutching my head with one hand, and clutching that hand with the other. This wasn't simple pain, like a headache or a backache, THIS WAS FULL-BODY, UNBEARABLY INTENSE PAIN!! I FELT AS IF MY BODY WAS BEING RIPPED APART!!!  
  
And all the while, my power continued to flood my frame. Flooding my body with power it was not prepared, and not meant to handle. To put it simply, my body couldn't handle that much power, and if I was to survive, I would have to adapt.  
  
But what did I care, the pain was so incredibly intense, that nothing else existed. The entire world to me was the pain in my body, and the power still coming back to me... and I was still only half there.  
  
My shouting was becoming irregular; I was getting short of breath, heck, I COULD BARELY BREATHE AT ALL!!  
  
But little did I know that someone had noticed me, had noticed my ki signal and could tell it was growing, and had grown curious...  
  
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" My shouts were becoming screams now, what did I care if I sounded like a little girl? WHAT DID IT MATTER!!?? THE PAIN WAS UNBEARABLE!!  
  
I started crawling around, clawing at the ground and beating at it. My body started going into convulsions, it felt as if my insides were being ripped right out of me!!  
  
~~~ Stranger ~~~  
  
The ki signal seemed to be coming from just outside Aaron City, right at the foot of the mountains where I was training, and when I got there, I saw the strangest thing. There was a form here, but it was glowing. Glowing like a light bulb!  
  
And even more striking, this form seemed to be both in incredible pain, but it also seemed to be getting smaller!  
  
It was a good thing Goku was on the other side of the world in Japan (where it was still night-time), or he might have been the one there, and he would likely have wanted to help, but, unfortunately, there was nothing to be done.  
  
Either this person fought through it, or he (or she) would die.  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" If I had been paying attention, I might have heard my insides shifting, but the pain was too intense for me to wonder WHY it hurt so much.  
  
I was writhing in pain, indescribable pain!!! Pain that cannot be described in words!  
  
Then, there was one last pulse of incredible pain, and then... nothing. I closed my eyes and sighed one last sigh, then, having gotten through it, I did what any other sensible person would have done.  
  
I fainted.  
  
~~~ Stranger ~~~  
  
I was watching with incredible interest as the form got brighter and brighter and the screaming got progressively louder.  
  
Then, with a flash that reminded me of Solar Flare, it all stopped. No light, no screaming, nothing more than the feeling of dispersing energy as the form gave one last sigh, and fell silent.  
  
Curious, I edged closer, I didn't want to cause undue alarm.  
  
Upon close inspection I found what appeared to be a small child, and upon even closer inspection, I found a young girl.  
  
So I did the only thing I could think to do. I took her to my house, to rest, recover, and maybe, to provide some answers.  
  
~~~~~~ *12 hours later* ~~~~~~  
  
"Ungh..." As I started to come to the first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in the field anymore, instead I was in some sort of bed. Granted it wasn't a very comfortable bed, but it was certainly better than laying out in some field.  
  
But the second thing I noticed was that I needed to use the restroom, BADLY! Which wasn't out of the ordinary for me.  
  
So, in a hurried manner, I hopped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, which just happened to be just outside the door of the room I was in.  
  
For some reason, the fact that everything seemed much bigger than it ought to be escaped me. But the thing that didn't escape my notice, was that when I pulled down my pants to pee, well, you know.  
  
Confused, I did two things. First, by demand from 'Mother Nature', I hopped up and 'did my duty'. Then, second, I screamed, surprising myself with the high pitch of my voice.  
  
But I hadn't actually expected anyone to come running as HE did.  
  
~~~ Stranger ~~~  
  
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" The high-pitched scream caught my attention immediately... How could I miss it!?!? I could have sworn that my ears might have started bleeding had it been any louder!!  
  
I was so alarmed by the sudden outburst that I rushed to the source, and, after running into the closed door, found the girl, curled up on the toilet with (thank Kami) the large shirt that served as some kind of gown pulled over her legs.  
  
When she saw me she was shivering in something I vaguely recognized as fear, looking up at me pleadingly.  
  
"What happened to me?" She was on the verge of tears. But I had no answers, so instead, I told her what I saw. Somehow it didn't seem like enough, but when I mentioned that she seemed to be getting smaller when I saw her, she suddenly acted as if she understood. Apparently, I did have the answer.  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
"So," the stranger had just finished relaying his story and decided to change the subject, "what's your name?"  
  
What's my name? Well, if what he had just told me was true, I wasn't who I was anymore. So, I chose a name, a name that somehow seemed appropriate. "Alex."  
  
He didn't respond, instead, he closed his eyes and nodded, the sash of his turban swishing gently against the back of his green robe.  
  
Now it was my turn, and strangely enough, although he had obviously gone to great lengths to hide it, I knew exactly who he was. "And you are..."  
  
He seemed to be thinking it was a question, so he interrupted me. "My name is..." So I felt it appropriate to interrupt him back.  
  
"Tien Shinhan. Your name is Tien Shinhan, the tri-clops." Judging by his reaction, one would have guessed that someone had told him he had ten minutes to live!  
  
Then his surprise turned to a curious scowl. "How did you know my name?"  
  
"Trust me, that's a long story. Perhaps I'll tell you later." Then I looked up at him, particularly, at his turban, the one hiding his third eye. "But first, take that thing off."  
  
He was confused, but I guess he figured that a little girl couldn't exactly do much against him, and therefore I wasn't much of a threat. He took it off.  
  
"That's better."  
  
"So, Alex, how old are you?"  
  
To be honest, I didn't know what to say in response to that. I knew that I was 18, but it was apparent that that was no longer the case.  
  
So instead, I asked him a question. "How old would you say I am?" He thought for a moment, then said that I looked about five years old. "Then that's how old I am."  
  
"What do you mean?" He asked, bewildered.  
  
"Well, before I came here, I was 18, but it's obvious now that I am not."  
  
Just then the albino kid, Chiaoutzu, floated into the room. "That sounds logical."  
  
I pointed at him, and simply said, "Chiaoutzu." Again, surprise, and the assurance that I would fill them in later. But first, there was something bugging me, so I just had to ask. Why? Because I didn't know at what point in the saga I had landed. "Excuse me, but, how old is Gohan, Goku's son?" Again surprise, but Tien soon supplied me with an answer.  
  
"I would have to say that he'd be about five right now." Great, that meant that Raditz had just left, IF he had even gotten there yet. Either way, that put me at the very beginning of the entire series.  
  
But that was not a good thing. I knew that I could, but I didn't want to change the way things played out.  
  
"If you want, we can visit them both in an island party. Do you want to come?"  
  
Great, Raditz hadn't even come yet. But I was torn. I really wanted to see Goku and the others, but I knew that I could not interrupt.  
  
What could I do?  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 4 ***~~~~~~  
  
How was it? Good and confusing? Doesn't it just make you want to review? I'd sure like it if you did!  
  
By the way, I hadn't originally intended for Alex to be the same age as Gohan. Originally (in 'Hidden Power') Alex was to be twenty years old and the setting was two years after the Buu saga. It wasn't until I worked out the years all the way up to Cell that I figured out that she was Gohan's age! (I didn't even fully realize that she was 18 in the Buu saga!) Then I worked it back until she was five ('cause I wanted her to start at five) and ended up (by chance) with her landing right at the beginning of the series!  
  
Alex: Yeah! And that kind of sucked!  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, well, that's the way the dice rolls.  
  
Alex: [mumbles]  
  
Alex Ultra: By the way, she landed in America, far from most of the Z fighters (Z-Senshi), which is why Goku didn't show up.  
  
Anyway, like I said before, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!  
  
Oh, and next chapter will include things like: explanations, decisions, and meetings.  
  
Till then, Alex Ultra says "See ya' next time!" 


	5. A New Life

On with chapter 5!  
  
I checked it out and guess what? I got a Review!! [Smiles proudly] And honestly, I don't know why I haven't been getting reviews, but I can say that I will be elaborating on Alex's [ahem] 'change'. I had planned on this and Alex and I have come up with a good way to explain it. Just bear with me and hopefully I'll make it a bit clearer.  
  
Alex: Hey, want some Pizza?  
  
Alex Ultra: No, I'm at the computer.  
  
Alex: Ok, more for me then!  
  
Alex Ultra: Give me that! [Alex Ultra hungrily downs four slices of pepperoni pizza]  
  
Alex: o.O Uh... so... I guess you're writing chapter five?  
  
Alex Ultra: [Smiles proudly] Yup!  
  
Alex: Well, let me know how it turns out!  
  
Alex Ultra: -_- ...  
  
Whatever... Anyway, standard disclaimers apply, I don't own DBZ. But I do own Alex, and the plot.  
  
Alex: [Chomping down on various pizzas][Turns to Goku, who is also stuffing his face] Fis ift fud?  
  
Alex Ultra: Huh?  
  
Goku: Yeath!  
  
Alex Ultra: Could you speak without food in your mouths?  
  
Alex and Goku: Sthobry. (Sorry.)  
  
~~~~~~*** A NEW LIFE ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, what could I do? Just by coming here I probably already changed the way things go!  
  
So, no harm in doing a little more, as long as I did it in the background... "Tien, how long till you all meet on Roshi's island?" Okay, remember how calm he was before? Well, now he all but threatened to send my head rolling if I didn't tell him how I knew all this stuff.  
  
So, smiling innocently, or what I thought was innocently, I told him that I'd talk.  
  
And I did. At first all I told him were the things that already happened, oh and about the TV show thing. Then, to prove that I knew all that stuff, I told him even more stuff, in greater detail, like about the death of Mercenary Tao at the hands of Goku. I even told him some things he didn't know, like how Goku was a Saiyan and that Gohan was about to be abducted (making him promise not to tell and NOT to interrupt, otherwise Goku and Piccolo would stay enemies for good!). I then told about the future, though a bit more vaguely, like how Gohan becomes incredibly powerful and then has a kid (making a point of telling him to help the Z-senshi not to kill Hercule, as annoying as he is). I felt okay with telling him these things mostly because I knew that he and Chiaoutzu go off training and basically never come back. Though I left that little detail out.  
  
When I was done, Chiaoutzu still looked as unaffected as ever, but Tien was having trouble taking it all in. "So, I get killed... by a future ally? And HE ends up with Idiot's (Yamcha's) girlfriend, having two kids?"  
  
"Yep. But that's not all, but I don't want to go into all of it, or else we could be here for hours." For some reason, I was fidgeting more than usual, even though I felt rather comfortable with Tien. I think the young age was catching up to me.  
  
"Uh, huh..." I think he was still trying to make sense of it all.  
  
Then the floating mime thing decided to speak up. "So, how do you think this happened to you?" When he saw my confused face look up at his colorless one he elaborated. "I saw it in your mind. You weren't always like this. Do you know why it happened?"  
  
I looked down at the ground. Why would I know the answer? But it was a question I wanted answered, so I thought about it.  
  
You know, being both a scientist (hehe) and a user of ki (barely until now) had taught me two things. One was that energy was very unpredictable, and two was that, given enough energy, just about ANYTHING was possible. So, on that precedent, I came up with a theory.  
  
"Well, about the only thing I can think of is overload."  
  
Tien decided to look up from the floor at this comment. "Overload?"  
  
"Yeah," seeing his confused face spurred me to continue, "it's like this. A computer chip (if you know what those are, and he assured me he did) uses a whole lot of very small metal wires put next to each other, but can't handle high voltage. So when high voltage is forced through it the resistance heats it up, then the little wires melt. Eventually the wires fuse together and can carry more voltage. That makes it useless for being a processor, but optimal for carrying a charge. That's what I think happened to me, I overloaded on energy, and it changed me so I would have the highest efficiency for my energy. Granted I don't know why I became a young girl, though I bet it was because that's the way my energy was aligned because that would make the most sense. I know I certainly didn't ask for it, I know that!"  
  
"But why were you in so much pain?" Tien was a little faster on this subject.  
  
"It's like the processor. All that voltage made it heat up until it could carry it all efficiently enough. And besides, don't you think it would hurt if your insides were changing that much that quickly?" I guess they understood because they both nodded their heads.  
  
~~~~ A/N ~~~~  
  
I hope that cleared it up for y'all. But one more thing, MY reason for making her a five-year-old girl, and they both make sense.  
  
First, in the sequel (which is already out) Alex is already a girl and used to living like that. Second, she becomes five because it's a lot easier to adjust to being a five-year-old girl than a teen-aged one. And I'm sure you can imagine why. I chose five because it wasn't too young or too old. I wanted her to grow up and adjust that way, so that's what I did.  
  
I hope that it's all clear as mud now, or clearer. Anyway, I'm sorry for putting such a big Author's Note right in the middle of the chapter, but I thought it might have more bearing here.  
  
~~~~ BTTS ~~~~  
  
"So." I broke the long silence. "How long before you go to Roshi's?"  
  
Tien though for a moment, then said that he said it was probably about ten days.  
  
"Great! In the meantime, do you think you can teach me to fly?"  
  
Again, he thought for a moment, then responded, "I think we can handle that. But how do you feel about getting something to wear first?"  
  
I looked down at the shirt that somehow had served as a gown now that I was so much smaller than I had been. Then I put on a silly (and slightly embarrassed) grin and scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, I guess I can't exactly wear this all the time, can I?"  
  
He looked at me funny for a second, then spoke again. "You know, you remind me of Goku when you do that."  
  
"Well, I guess when you watch someone long enough, you start to act like them! Don't you?" Then I laughed nervously.  
  
"So what kind should I get?"  
  
"Preferably some warm training clothes. We are in the mountains, after all."  
  
You know, even though I had only known him in person for a few minutes, for some reason I got the feeling that he really cared for me. As much as he can anyway.  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 5 ***~~~~~~  
  
Sorry to end it there, but I believe I've made my point?  
  
By the way, BTTS stands for 'Back To The Story'.  
  
You know, it is kind of disappointing that I only have one review up to chapter 5, but it's not like there won't be ample time to get more. Honestly this story has only started! How does 50+ chapters sound? I do, after-all, have twelve years and three-or-four sagas to cover. And that's not including Alex's own adventures!  
  
Anyway, next chapter Alex will get a new wardrobe.  
  
Alex: I still think I was awfully cute back then!  
  
Alex Ultra: My wrists hurt.  
  
Alex: I wonder why. Look at that workspace! It's all wrong! (My stupid computer can't decide if it wants me to say 'all wrong' or 'all-wrong'! It's annoying me!)  
  
Alex Ultra: Anyway, it looks like this story needs some word-of-mouth action, if any of you out there know someone who would like this story, encourage them to read! I accept anonymous reviews by the way.  
  
Alex: He just wants someone to tell him how great he is...  
  
Alex Ultra: That's not true! I accept flames too!  
  
Alex: Whatever...  
  
Alex Ultra: [Looks around] I thought you said you'd pick up these pizza boxes.  
  
Alex: But I'm not done! [Picks up an Anchovy, Pepperoni, Sausage, Mushroom, and Pineapple pizza, taking big bites]  
  
Alex Ultra: You know, sometimes I find it hard to believe you're not a Saiyan...  
  
Alex: Well, it takes a lot to keep up at my level!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Half growl half sigh] And I guess I'll have to explain that too!  
  
Jennifer: Hey! When do I come in?  
  
Alex: Hey sis! Where ya' been?  
  
Alex Ultra: It might take a while...  
  
Alex: Hey, do we need to tell about Jenn?  
  
Alex Ultra: I think you just did...  
  
Alex: ...?  
  
Jennifer: You called me sis.  
  
Alex: OH! ... I don't get it.  
  
Jennifer: And you're how smart?  
  
Alex Ultra: Of course it didn't exactly hurt that she had already gone through high school by age 5.  
  
Alex: Ah! Now I get it!!  
  
Jennifer: [Sigh]  
  
Please review!  
  
Jennifer: Hey Alex! Ya' wanna go train?  
  
Alex: Sure!  
  
Alex and Jennifer leave, Alex Ultra leans back in chair.  
  
Alex Ultra: Ahhh. Solitude.  
  
Goku: Hey Alex U. You gonna eat these?  
  
Alex Ultra: [Sighs and says no.]  
  
While Goku pigs out I'm going to see if I can borrow a Senzu bean for my hand. Then I can get to work on chapter 6.  
  
Later! 


	6. New Clothes

Hi all! I'm back! (Barely...)  
  
Alex: Wow! You got it working!  
  
Alex Ultra: Well, I'm not so sure. This stupid computer is ready for the junk pile!  
  
Alex: So?  
  
Alex Ultra: So, mostly it means that I won't be updating regularly for quite a while. Maybe we'll get a new computer...  
  
Alex: Don't count on it!  
  
Sorry it's been so long people; our computer's about had it (first the speakers, then the printers and cameras, and now our hard drive is making a clicking noise and only works when it feels like it!). We already sent it in for repairs and Gateway is no help whatsoever (Dude! We should get a Dell!). Well, computer problems aside, I'm going to try to keep writing, but don't be expecting regular updates like the good-old days... whatever.  
  
Anyway, I don't own DragonBall Z or it's characters, although Alex does belong to me. (Message to all perverts: "You know what I mean!")  
  
Alex: Well it's about time!  
  
Alex Ultra: So sue me! ... You know what? On second thought, don't sue me!  
  
Lawyers: Awww.  
  
Alex Ultra: Now get out of my house. (Lawyers slowly pack up and leave.)  
  
Alex: Where did they come from?  
  
Alex Ultra: I don't know, they're all Vultures as far as I'm concerned.  
  
Alex: Vultures? Out here?  
  
Alex Ultra: The worst kind. Yep!  
  
Alex: That reminds me!  
  
Alex Ultra: Oh? Of what?  
  
Alex: I'm hungry!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Face vaults and laughs nervously] He he, I guess I should have seen that one coming!  
  
Alex rummages through the fridge: Lets see [mumbles]... Ooh Apple Pie! Hey! Why didn't you tell me you had Apple Pie?  
  
Alex Ultra: Would it have mattered?  
  
Alex: No.  
  
Alex Ultra: Exactly.  
  
Moving on... This chapter's been swimming around in my head for a while but I haven't gotten the chance to write it, so now that I'm here, I hope it will be pretty good.  
  
~~~~~~*** NEW CLOTHES ***~~~~~~  
  
I got new clothes.  
  
~~~~~~*** That's it!! ***~~~~~~  
  
Hey, why are you all looking at me like that? What, you don't believe me? Fine! I guess I can make it a bit longer, but I can't promise anything. (Actually, I can, but I'm not going to!)  
  
~~~~~~*** NEW CLOTHES ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, for the second time in what seems like ten minutes I find myself uncomfortable. The first was when I realized that I was a girl; the second (and worse) time was trying to fit into Chaotzu's clothes. (A/N: Hey, does anybody know how his name is really spelled? I'll accept the name that appears most often then correct it in my writing. I had hoped I could avoid it, but I guess I hoped too much.)  
  
Despite my now small stature (which was hard enough to get used to) Chaotzu was even smaller! But his were the closest to my size so now I was being forced to wear these funny-looking green clothes that pinch my legs and restrict my arms.  
  
But, you know what? The most surprising part about what happened to me is that, strangely enough, even though I'm now a five-year-old girl, I somehow look like a miniature version of Goku. Of course, by that I don't mean that I look like him. Instead I mean that I look like I had been working out all my life! Well, I don't mean that my muscles are like bulging out of my shirt; I'm still feminine enough (odd concept, saying I'm still feminine when I've never been feminine before). ... ... ... GREAT!! Now I'm confused!  
  
Okay look! I still look like a little girl, but I look like one who is very fit, okay? Rock hard muscles, but not as defined as Goku's. Got it? (A/N: Augh! Headache!)  
  
Honestly, looking at myself in the mirror, I don't seem to look anything like Goku! For starters I've got big (BIG, like all the other dbz girls) bright blue eyes, and jet-black hair that reaches my shoulders. My hair is straight so it's not messy like it used to be, and it kind of reminds me of Bulma's hair. We've already gone over the muscular build, but none of me reminded me of Goku (through the excessive clothing I had on before I felt okay enough to look myself over, I hope I get used to this quickly, either that or get it fixed!). My feet are rather small (the only thing of Chaotzu's that fit me were his shoes). Over all, I look like I ought to, well, sorta. You know, anime.  
  
But the odd thing is that everything has texture here. Just like the real world. Well, I guess I don't know what I expected, but it doesn't look or feel quite like it looks on TV. Basically, everything's about the same except the eyes. But then, I guess I haven't seen anyone face vault yet, but I don't expect that I will so... whatever.  
  
Anyway, here I am. About a half-mile in the air clinging to Tien's shirt as we go to get me some clothes.  
  
Tien had decided that I needed clothes for two reasons; first, I needed comfortable clothes for training. (He's gonna teach me to fly and stuff! Mostly stuff with my ki though.) And second, I needed some clothes for being around people (something Tien doesn't do much but I assured him that I'm eventually going to have to leave him, 'cause I can't stick around too long anyway.).  
  
"Where are we anyway?"  
  
Tien didn't exactly give me a straight answer. "We're headed to the nearest, uhm, what's it called again?"  
  
"Mall?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He wasn't exactly thrilled about going to a mall, but he didn't answer my question anyway.  
  
"No! I mean where are we, really?"  
  
"Oh, well, I don't know exactly, somewhere in America, I guess. I never was very good with geography."  
  
"So I guess you're training in the mountains?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Oh." Despite my feeble attempts at conversation, Tien stayed fairly unresponsive. It made me glad that it wasn't Piccolo who had found me.  
  
"We're almost there." Despite that I had never been so far up before, I don't feel the slightest bit nervous. And the only problem I could really notice with the altitude was when my ears popped.  
  
Honestly, somehow I'd bet I could take the fall, even though I'd prefer not to try it.  
  
We landed on the roof and went inside, only to find ourselves in a pet store.  
  
"Squawk!!"  
  
"Well, where do we go from here?"  
  
Tien grunted and started walking out of the store, he looked around and pointed to a little store about three levels below us that had something like a bent barbell over the door. "That's where Chaotzu and I get our stuff."  
  
"Okay. So where are the escalators, or do they have elevators here?"  
  
Tien kind of looked at me funny, then he smiled nervously and kind of choked out a question. "You mean you're serious? You really CAN'T fly?" I shook my head, no. "Oh! Man!" Okay, now he's freaking me out, he's actually starting to act human! And he's reminding me of how Gohan acts around Videl! "Uh, well, I didn't take you very seriously because of how powerful you are, but if you really can't fly then I guess I should be able to teach you!" I swear, one of his eyes must be twice the size of the other right now! "But for now just hang on, flying is faster than any elevators!" Some girls passing by (and their guys carrying bags full of who-knows-what) overheard that last part and started snickering. I could only manage to wave nervously and grab Tien's cape.  
  
I swear their eyes must have popped from their sockets when we lifted off. It sorta made me nervous and happy at the same time. I don't know how many people saw us but I was sure we surprised some and scared others at the same time.  
  
"Well, I think we ought to be able to walk it from here!"  
  
"Ah, mister Shinhan! How can I help you today, sir?" Some guy in a muscle shirt and well-combed hair came right up Tien and seemed to act as if he knew him pretty well.  
  
"Hello, uh..."  
  
"Lou, call me Lou."  
  
"Okay, Lou. Actually, I'm here for her." He gestured to me and I walked up to 'Lou' and reached for his hand.  
  
"Hello. I'm Alex!" I tried my best to act like the little girl I looked like, well, I guess I am one now. Whatever.  
  
He took my hand vice versa, but I think I may have crushed his hand because his voice instantly rose an octave or two when he spoke again; it's obvious he's holding back a wince. "Well! It's apparent she takes after her father, doesn't she?" Well, if the face-vault does happen here, then this is the time for it!  
  
Well, there wasn't any face-vaulting, but Tien did nearly trip on his own foot. "OH, NO! She's not my daughter! She's a-a... uh."  
  
"He's gonna teach me some things! And he wants me to get some fighting clothes!"  
  
"Oh! So she's a student! Well that makes a bit more sense doesn't it? A man as serious as you doesn't mess with the women does he?"  
  
Tien only looked seriously into his face until he quieted down. "Can I help you, Mr. Shinhan?"  
  
"Where's Art." It wasn't even a question, more like an order.  
  
"Oh! Well he's on break right now! And I saw you outside and thought I'd help!" I'm sure he tried to say that matter-of-factly, but with a guy like Tien Shinhan staring you down it's rather hard to keep your nerves down.  
  
"Oh come now, Lou! That's such a feeble excuse! He knows that I don't take my lunch break until 3:30! He is, after all, one of my regulars!" A guy probably in his teens and dressed in slacks and a bright orange t-shirt under a jean-jacket came up behind the older man and made him practically jump out of his perfectly pressed khaki jeans.  
  
"Mister Kayana! I didn't know you were back yet! I was just greeting mister Shinhan here and..."  
  
"Oh get off it Lou. Just go tend to the shelvers and leave this to me."  
  
Lou only sighed in defeat and went back to the shadows of clothes from which he came.  
  
"Another temp, Art?"  
  
"Yeah, but he's a bit too eager. Sometimes I think he would do better in the military than in a sporting store. But anyway, what can I do for you?"  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you could make a gi for Alex here."  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Uh, yeah. Anyway, she's gonna be staying with me for a while so it's going to need to be pretty strong."  
  
"Yeah, I can imagine." Then he looked down at me (for what seemed like the first time) "Hey, you wouldn't mind having my sister measure you, would you?"  
  
"Huh?" He gestured to some girl behind the counter. She didn't really look anything like him; she was wearing black leather and listening to... something on her headphones. It took her two minutes to notice we were staring her down, and even then it was mostly because Art snapped her headphones against her head.  
  
"Hey! Oh, what's up bro?"  
  
"Shut up and make yourself useful for once!"  
  
"You mean the third time today?"  
  
Art narrowed his eyes angrily at her, but she didn't even flinch. Instead she seemed rather happy that she had pissed him off. "So! Who's the victim? Cutie here?" Jeeze! She's acting like some kind of slut!  
  
"No. Actually, THIS one needs measured for a gi. Do you think you can handle that?" She looked down at me and smiled a little.  
  
"Yeah, I think I can manage to screw up again." She gave Art a sly-eye and picked me up in one arm, Art only grunted and expressed his indifference as he walked away with Tien to who knows where.  
  
"Well, lets get you some numbers!" Well, first, I'm still not used to being light or small enough to be picked up, and second, I'm also not used to seeing the three most prevalent facets of society all in one place. You know, the famed 'yes-man' who tries to get along with everybody, the eccentric artist who does get along with everybody, and the perfect punk who seems to hate everybody. Well! My trip here seems to be going well!  
  
Well, anyway, while she was 'getting some numbers', we had some time to talk. "Hey, what's the deal with you and your brother?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, (A/N: Alex is about to expose herself a bit here. Hold on to your seats!) from what I got out there, you two don't seem to get along too well. But it also seems as if you argue a little too much. I mean, it seems as if you purposely get on his nerves."  
  
She looked a bit taken aback by this. "Well! Uh, hehe. Well, do you have a brother?" It kind of hurt, but I shook my head no. "Oh, well you're lucky. Art's just a bit... overbearing," for some reason, she stalled here and looked at me kind of funny. "Uh, that means that he, uh... it's kind of like when parents make you eat broccoli 'cause it's good for you. They go just a little too far."  
  
I didn't mean to seem angry, but for just a moment I had forgotten that I was only five now. I crossed my arms and protested, "I know what it means."  
  
I guess I must have come off as cute because she smiled at me warmly (or as warmly as she could with that nose ring and a bolt coming out of her cheek. "Well, aren't you smart?"  
  
"You have no idea.." I rolled my eye as she measured my lower leg and wrote it down.  
  
She looked back to me and gave me a challenging look, it said 'Oh really? Enlighten me little girl.' So, I took the challenge and explained a few things.  
  
"Well, you're some kind of punk, and to prove it you give your well-meaning brother a hard time. You know he deserves better, but you still try your best to keep up the punk image. Your brother, on the other hand, cares about you more than he cares to admit so he keeps you around hoping you'll change and start doing things on your own. He obviously has an artistic talent and a laid-back attitude, as well as being well known and rather generous. My guess is that he is generous to a fault and will put up with you like this for a while, all the while trying to [grunt] get you out of the punk crowd and on your feet. You keep up your attitude because you don't want to end up like those nameless people in the office buildings, so instead you go out of your way to become one of those nameless punks seen on the streets, [heave] all the while fooling yourself into thinking that your trying to not fit in, when really you are fitting in with the biggest and most unpopular crowd. Augh! See? That's why I need new clothes!" (A/N: Alex got her clothes back about halfway.)  
  
After hearing my little burst of intelligence she was speechless. Wide- eyed and motionless she just stared at me wordlessly, barely even breathing. "What? Would it make you feel better if I said 'Goo-goo, gaa- gaa'?" Her jaw moved but nothing came out. "Great! Don't tell me you're broken?"  
  
Finally she could talk, but she was still wide eyed. "CRAP!! You sound like my psychologist!"  
  
Now I felt like acting childish. I scratched an imaginary itch on the back of my neck, smiled nervously, laughed in the same fashion, and acted overall a lot like Gohan when he's trying to play down his strength. "Oh, really? Well, I guess I have always been pretty good with people! HAHAHA! Hahaha, uh, hehe." I call it 'playing a Gohan', and this was one of the first times that I hadn't done it on purpose!  
  
What's-her-name (no, really, I still don't know her name at this point!) rubbed her forehead and slowly smiled. Soon she was laughing (not in hysterics, just laughing). "You know, I came today thinking it would be boring! But after I get the talking of a lifetime from a little girl less than half my age, it sorta makes my whole life seem boring! And you know what the weirdest thing is?" She didn't wait for an answer. "It sounds a lot like the same thing I get from the guys with Ph.D.'s but this is the first time I can't think of a way to argue!"  
  
"And that's, funny?"  
  
"Oh, sorry, this is just the way I deal with weird stuff. When you're around Tien Shinhan as much as we are, you need to know how to handle the weird stuff."  
  
"Like his third eye?"  
  
"Exactly! And the little girl he brought in one day who gave me the lecture of a lifetime." Well, I think I either made a positive impact on her, or I may have driven her to the loony bin.  
  
After a short laugh she calmed down and looked at me. But she didn't say anything, what could she say?  
  
But I had a couple things to say. "So. What's your name?"  
  
She smiled at me again and got up. "You're a good kid, but we're done here. So let's go get Art, 'kay?" Suddenly she picked me up in one arm and we walked out to get Art. Well, that answers my second question. "And my name's Jesse." And that answers my first.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Here you go." Jesse handed a piece of paper to Art, who looked it over only slightly and went back to dealing with a customer, who seemed engrossed with a piece of shimmering gold fabric.  
  
Looking around I quickly noticed Tien in the corner, sitting quietly as usual, probably meditating. So I went over and tried to talk to him.  
  
"So, Tien, uh, do you come here often?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Man I suck at this. "Right." See?  
  
"Are you done here?"  
  
"I don't know, I guess so."  
  
"Wait! What kind do you want?" Art finished with his customer and came up to us.  
  
"Huh? Aren't they all the same?"  
  
"No. You gotta tell me what to make it look like, otherwise I can't make it right."  
  
"I don't know, what do you think Tien?"  
  
"It's up to you."  
  
"Well, uh, what do I have to choose from?"  
  
Art pulled out a little book and handed it to me. "I don't normally make them for girls your age, so the selection's a bit limited." When I opened it to the right page (I nearly went to the 'Teens' section, then I remembered that I'm not, anymore, uh, whatever, you get the idea) all I saw was two pages. On one was a little girl about my age in a black jumpsuit that said 'Cute' across the front and had nifty stripes down the sides, but that was kind of plain so I looked at the other one. The other one looked like the same girl except that she was wearing a bright yellow jumpsuit with a red dragon going over the shoulder and down the front of the shirt, the pants had some kind of design on it and the back said "Your logo here" in gold lettering.  
  
And we have a winner! "I like this one, except not in that color. And instead of a dragon can you put something else?"  
  
"What do you have in mind?"  
  
"I like dolphins!"  
  
"I think we can do that. Anything else?"  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"What do you think we should put here?" He was referring to the 'Your logo here' spot on the back, and of course, he was talking to Tien.  
  
But Tien only shrugged and told him to ask me. "Uh, well," It only took a couple seconds for an idea to hit me. "I know! Do you have some paper?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, sure, wait here for a second!" He was about to run off but his sister stopped him and handed me a piece of paper and a pencil. "Uh, never mind."  
  
"Thanks!" I took the paper and looked at it for a second or two. Then I took the pencil and started drawing.  
  
When I was finished I had a design I was satisfied with. Overall it looked like a star with four points and little designs over each arm. Over the top arm I had what looked like a little flame (I wanted it blue), over the left arm was a feather type thingy, over the right arm was some kind of eye, and over the bottom arm was an open hand. And to wrap it all up, in the middle I had a star pattern; it looked like a star inside a star inside a star inside a star, four stars, the three smaller ones inside the others.  
  
I handed it to Art and he looked it over, and looked back to me. "What made you come up with this?" Then he flashed a silly smile. "Wouldn't you like some kind of pattern instead?" I shook my head no. "Well then would you mind telling me why you want it this way?" I smiled and took the paper from him; I thought he'd never ask, this design has quite a bit of meaning for me.  
  
First, I pointed to the blue flame over the top arm. "This is the soul." Then I went to the feather on the left arm. "This is the spirit." Over to the eye. "This is the mind." And then I went to the hand. "And this is the body." Then I motioned to indicate the four-armed star. "The big star is the person, and the smaller stars are the center, as well as being the lines between the arms."  
  
Art only blinked a couple times then threw his head back and laughed. "Well, I guess that makes sense. But it's not exactly what I expected!"  
  
"What did you expect?"  
  
"Well, [haha] I kind of expected you to say 'Cause it's pretty!'"  
  
I smiled. "Oh! Well that too!"  
  
It took him a little bit to calm down a bit. "Okay, well, it's going to take a while to finish your gi so if you come back around, uh, 9ish?"  
  
"Sure." Tien stood up and motioned for me to go with him, and I followed. Art had already left, where to? I don't know, but I assumed he was working on my gi (gi?).  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Tien grunted as he paid for my clothes, it was a small pile, really, considering I was replacing my ENTIRE wardrobe!  
  
I had six shirts (two sweaters and four T's) and seven pairs of pants (three pairs of jeans, one pair of sweats, and three pairs of shorts, all of which seemed too cute for my taste, but I didn't have much choice, honestly, I thought I looked pretty good in them!). And, of course, I had some, uh, underpants, THEY were the hardest to pick out the right size for! (As you can imagine, I'm sure.) I also got a pair of leather work-gloves (I was lucky to find a pair to fit my tiny hands.) and two pairs of shoes (one pair of tennis-shoes, and one pair of Sandals), keeping in mind that I was going to be doing a lot with them.  
  
"Did you get enough?" Tien looked more annoyed than angry, probably because we were in Wal-Mart and it was all pretty cheap (the whole thing for under $100). So I answered his question as honestly as I could.  
  
"Geeze! I hope so!" I had a silly smile slapped on my face as I hung off the side of the checkout counter looking at my new wardrobe. I swear, I must be acting more and more like a child by the minute!  
  
"Well, we've got another couple of hours to waste, so what do you want to do?"  
  
"Hmm. Well, first I would LIKE to get out of these tight clothes, but then maybe we can find some way to pass the time?" I gave him a quick wink and he blinked confusedly.  
  
"Uh... okay?" We picked up the bags and headed back to the main area.  
  
"Can you wait here for a minute?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"'Cause I'm gonna go change! Be right back!" I ran off to the nearest restroom (making sure to go in the right one) and quickly changed into a red sweater and jeans. Quickly because it's still rather unnerving as to what I am now.  
  
When I saw Tien again he was floating about two feet off the ground (a fact that was hidden by a bag on one side, a chair behind him, and a small tree on the other side). "I'm back!" He only grunted.  
  
"Well, now what?"  
  
I put on what I thought might be a sly grin (I really don't know what I look like to other people anymore..) and spoke again. "Do you mind if we go to the roof?" He only opened his eyes and looked at me. I had my reasons, "I'll tell you when we get there."  
  
~~~~~~ On the roof ~~~~~~  
  
"Now would you mind telling me why you took us up here?"  
  
"Sure! Just power up for me, would you?" He was obviously very confused, apparently too confused to argue.  
  
"Whatever you say." He put his arms to his sides and prepared to power up, and within seconds I was seeing the telltale signs of him powering up. White flames engulfed his body and he shouted a bit as his muscles bulged a bit, all this while his cape was trying to blow up and away. "How's this?" He had a taunting smirk on his face, as if to say 'You asked for it!'  
  
"Great! Thanks! Now can I try?" Again he was confused, but he quickly powered down and nodded his head.  
  
"Why not? Knock yourself out!"  
  
"I hope not! It was bad enough the first time!" He held back a snicker but I protested, telling that I was serious.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
I rolled my eyes and assumed the position. Then I put my arms down at my sides, without flexing them.  
  
I tried to stay calm, without flexing a single muscle I searched for my ki. I had done this many times before, but this time I was careful not to go overboard, I now had more energy than I was used to, so I went slowly.  
  
Rather than picturing the flames around me, like many people do, I had gotten used to simply feeling it around me, then spinning it around me. Soon I could feel it coming in force; I could feel it spinning around me, which was no different than normal, except that this time my hair was blowing in the same direction. Up and around my head.  
  
It wasn't until I got a nose-full of hair that I opened my eyes. Yup! My ki was definitely visible this time! Not only that, but Tien looked as if he was watching a ghost materialize out of mid-air!  
  
Then I thought 'Why not? I did it before! Maybe I'll have more control this time?' So, I put my arms into the flexing position, spread my feet a bit further, bent my knees, and started pulling as hard as I could.  
  
Immediately a flood of ki erupted from somewhere inside me, I felt as if I might even be more powerful than when I was trying to fight Kinkilla!  
  
Kinkilla. He killed them, he killed them all! That beast! I'LL KILL HIM!!!  
  
Suddenly memories started rushing back to me. And, as before, I started getting angry. I flexed my muscles as tight as they would go and pulled my ki close to me.  
  
~~~ Tien Shinhan ~~~  
  
How? How can she be so powerful? And now she looks positively PISSED!!  
  
Maybe this isn't the right place to be.  
  
"Uh, are you alright?" I know it was weak, but I couldn't think of anything else to say! What could I say?  
  
Then she started mumbling something. "I'll... kill... you!" Now she's crying, MAN I wish I could read people like Chaotzu! "All dead! All of them!... Nothing... nothing..."  
  
Oh, shoot. Now she's starting to scare me!  
  
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!!! KINKILLAAAAAA!!!!!!!" Suddenly her ki simply skyrocketed, the only time I felt that much ki coming from one person was when Goku last fought Piccolo! "I SWEAR IT!!!!! I'LL KILL YOOOOUUUU!!!!!!"  
  
Now the flames were gone, replaced by a white aura that seemed to simply radiate right off her body. Forget flames! She looked like she might explode any second!  
  
Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped, and she collapsed to the ground, in tears.  
  
GEEZE!! What was THAT about!!??  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
Oh great! I'm crying! That's the last thing I need to be doing right now.  
  
My anger had blinded me for a minute, it took me a while to remember where I was, and that Kinkilla wasn't here. Then, I just couldn't help it! All that time I had been holding it back, and it just came back to me all at once.  
  
So what did I do? I just forgot the rest of the world, and cried myself dry. I felt stupid, but WHO CARES?? At the time, I really couldn't have cared less, but I eventually stopped, I guess... Actually, I apparently cried myself to sleep, because I didn't wake up till Tien woke me up and told me it was time to go get my gi.  
  
I sleepily agreed, and followed. (A/N: Great! Now I'm crying!)  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
When we got there Jesse looked up from her magazine (What? no earphones?) and banged on the wall behind her.  
  
It only took a few seconds for Art to poke his head out the doorway. "What is it!?!?" Jesse pointed at us and Art followed her finger. Instantly his face lightened. "You're late!"  
  
"I know." Tien had a slight smile on his face.  
  
"Well, it's done anyway. Come have a look!" And we followed him through the beaded door and into what looked like some kind of workroom. There was fabric all over and all sorts of scissors and other things. There must have been at least four counters full of various strings and three different sewing machines!  
  
But the thing that really caught my eye was a little outfit in the corner of the room. My first though was 'Wonder who that's for?' Mostly because it was so little, but then I remembered that I was pretty small now, too. So, naturally I figured it was mine.  
  
And I was right! "Well, what do you think?"  
  
My first question was about the color. "Pink? Why pink?"  
  
I should have remembered that I hadn't exactly specified a color, but Art explained anyway. "Well, it goes best with your requested patterns!" And, of course, he was right. The Dolphin (Very well done, by the way) stood out better than I could have expected with any other color, and the same goes for the blue flame on the back. The rest of the pattern on the back was gold stitching, with white for the feather, and a blue color was used for the iris of the eye opposite the feather.  
  
The pink was interrupted about mid-thigh by black going from the outside and wrapping around the leg until the bottom was all black, and the same goes for the arms. And to go with the suit was a pair of shoes, they were pink with black soles and looked like they might be a part of the suit itself.  
  
"Well, try it on!"  
  
"Uh, sure." I took it off the rack and went to the changing room.  
  
Honestly, it took a while to figure it out, it turns out that the zipper was on the side, under the sleeve. It actually went on pretty easily, it fit like a glove and was pretty warm. The same went for the shoes, which seemed strangely sturdy, despite the lack of any kind of leather or other material normally known for making shoes. It seemed as if the whole thing was made of some kind of soft rubber and moved pretty easily, I could barely even tell it was any different than normal clothes, even the zipper fit just right!  
  
Looking at myself in the mirror felt like looking at a total stranger (well, at this point, I guess my reflection really IS a total stranger). I looked cute, but not too cute either. The embroidery was excellently done and the overall effect was amazing!  
  
Walking back out the only way I could describe it was, "Perfect!"  
  
And Art was pleased. And he was excited! He was so proud of the overall effect and so proud of his work (he mentioned how well it went with my 'baby-blue' eyes) that he just HAD to take some pictures. Somehow I just knew that my pictures would end up in that little booklet of his so I posed like he told me and tried to smile, choking down my confusion and embarrassment in the progress.  
  
"Lookin' good kid." Jesse walked in about mid-way through my 'photo-shoot' looking a bit smug. "And, uh, good job, bro."  
  
"Is that why you came in here? Could you move your chin a little more to the side? Perfect! [Snap]"  
  
"Uh, well, no. Actually I came in here to tell you it's almost time to close up shop."  
  
"Oh, well thanks anyway."  
  
"I think it's time we go." Tien stood up and walked out of the room. "I'll be outside the door when you're ready." I nodded and Art waved saying, "Later, Ten-Man."  
  
Jesse went... somewhere, which left me and Art (Art and I?) in the workroom. And he took the opportunity to ask me a few things.  
  
"Hey, kid. Did you do something to her today?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Jesse's been, well, helpful, or more helpful than usual, at least for her, ever since this morning. I mean, she's not acting like herself... not that I'm complaining, but, are you like some kind of alien who's taken my sister hostage and replaced her with this nicer version?"  
  
I smiled and laughed a little. "Oh no. You've exposed me! Well it looks like my plan to corner the world's Cheese markets has failed!" Art got a little laugh out of this, then I tried to answer his question. "Well, I don't know if I did or not, but don't hold it against me if I did."  
  
He laughed a little more, then continued. "Yeah, well, don't worry about it. What could a pre-schooler tell her that would change her that much anyway?" Now he was talking to himself. "Sorry, I never should have asked. Well, anyway, why don't you go get Ten-man, I'm done here."  
  
"Ten-Man?"  
  
"Well, yeah! Hehe, uh, one day Jesse got his name wrong and wrote down 'Ten', so now that's his new nickname!"  
  
"Hehe, yeeeaaah, sure, okay. Well, goodbye!" I waved goodbye and ran out to get Tien.  
  
"Hey, Ten-man!" I greeted him teasingly, but he only grunted. "Aw whatever. Anyway, you ready to go?" He didn't answer; instead he picked up the bags and looked at me. I think he was tired, or something...  
  
~~~ Ten-man... er, Tien ~~~  
  
I still can't believe how powerful she is! She must be even more powerful than GOKU!! But that's impossible! She herself said that he later becomes the most powerful man in the Universe!  
  
But then, she's not a man, is she?  
  
~~~ Alex Again ~~~  
  
Man, what's wrong with him? He doesn't seem like himself somehow. I don't know him all that well, but he seemed somehow, distracted?  
  
Maybe it was something I said?  
  
Well, whatever, I just grabbed his cape (again) and we took off (again), man, I hope I can fly on my own soon!  
  
~~~ Tea boy ~~~  
  
That's gotta be it! Goku is the most powerful MAN, but she's the most powerful WOMAN!! But I thought that was ChiChi!  
  
Man, now I'm all confused...  
  
And how does she know about the future!?  
  
And why didn't she mention what I did? Am I dead in the future? Oh, wait; we've already gone over that, didn't we?  
  
Geeze! If I don't stop thinking so hard about this, I'm gonna fall right out of the sky!  
  
Wait a minute... How'd I get all the way up here?  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
Okay, now I know he's distracted. Did he just ask how he got all the way up here?  
  
"Hellooo, Tien!!!" I knocked on the back of his head, trying to remind him where he was. Man I hope it worked.  
  
"Huh? What?"  
  
"Geeze! Don't zone out on me now! Not when we're like a mile up!"  
  
"Oh! Yeah, sure."  
  
"Tien?" There was still a question that was bugging me, was this whole thing reversible?  
  
"What?"  
  
"Uh, do you think, when you take me to Japan with you, do you think we could make a stop at Kami's Tower?"  
  
"Why do you want to go there?"  
  
"Well, I want to ask him a very important question... So do you think it would be alright?"  
  
He thought about it for a moment, then answered. "I, guess I don't see why not. But, are you sure you don't want to talk to Goku?"  
  
"No, I can't tell him or ANY of the rest of the gang about the future. If I do, it won't turn out right, and I'll probably have doomed the entire Universe. In fact, I probably have..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"... ... I... don't want to talk about it, at least not right now. Maybe later. But, not now."  
  
He looked straight ahead again, but he wasn't finished with me yet... "Well, does it have to do with this Kinkilla you mentioned before?"  
  
"Huh?" How'd he? Was I talking aloud? "Did I? Did I... uh, say that?"  
  
"I believe the thing you said most was: 'I'll kill you, Kinkilla!' You seemed pretty mad at whoever this was. And your power..." He trailed off about there.  
  
"What? My power..." I was trying to lead him along... hoping he wouldn't leave me hanging like that.  
  
"Your power... I-I've... never seen anything like it before..."  
  
"Oh! Well get used to it! You'll be feeling powers far greater than that over and over. Each one more and more incredible. Each greater than the last. It's pretty much how Goku's life is going to be for quite a while, so, get used to being surprised."  
  
"So, those powers, come from Goku?"  
  
"Well, mostly yeah, but it's usually the bad-guy who is most powerful first. Then they just sorta, meet the challenge, or something like that..."  
  
"So you're saying I should put my faith in Goku..."  
  
"No. I'm saying that Goku will be very strong, but without help, from you, and the others, even he will be simply overwhelmed... don't you dare think you can just depend on him, he can't handle everything, sometimes you'll need to just do what you feel like you need to, no matter how big or small... Trust me, Tien, you do play a pretty powerful role, I just can't be telling you what to do or it might not turn out right. As long as you don't know what's expected of you, you're free to act as if you never met someone who knew the future... which I want you to do anyway. Got it?"  
  
I swear I could see a sweat drop on the back of his head, even though there wasn't one. "Uh, yeah, sure, I'll try to pretend like you don't exist. How's that sound?"  
  
"Good, and as soon as you drop me off in Tokyo, the only one who can contact me is the guardian, okay? If I want to see you, I'll find you. You don't worry about how things turn out, just worry about doing what seems right."  
  
"Yeah, sure. Whatever, future-girl..."  
  
I heard his comment, it wasn't true, but either way, it was the way he said it, kind of like calling your parents 'Your Majesty', you know?  
  
I felt like my gaze could drill a hole through the back of his head, which it didn't, fortunately... I still didn't feel like finding out what a fall from here would feel like...  
  
"Well, whatever, I just hope you really can teach me to fly."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that! I was flying long before Goku was!"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Oh, right." And, well, we went 'home', or to his house, or whatever.  
  
'Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll learn to fly.' Then another thought came to mind. 'Or try, anyways. I hope I can fly before we go separate ways!'  
  
~~~~~~*** The REAL End of Chapter 6 ***~~~~~~  
  
Whoo!! That was a long one! Maybe that will make up for being gone so long!  
  
Alex: Don't count on it!  
  
Alex Ultra: Do you ever sleep?  
  
Alex: Yeah! But I thought I'd stay up to see how you ended this chapter!  
  
Alex Ultra: And to bug me...  
  
Alex: Of course! Why else would I be around so much?  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah... Good Night...  
  
Alex: Hey! Get back here!!! Don't you need to ask them what they thought?!?!  
  
Alex Ultra: [mumbles]...  
  
Alex: Well, I guess it's up to me!!  
  
How do you like this chapter? Did he write it well enough? Do I sound too much like an adult in this chapter? Or maybe too much like a kid? Oh, and I assure you I didn't reveal too much to Tien, things turned out alright, didn't they?  
  
And next chapter, uh, I think that's when I learned to fly... That's what he hinted to at the end, right? Yeah, well... Later! 


	7. Take Flight

Check it out! I'm back! Ready to go am I!  
  
Alex: Hey! A.U., you seen the cheesy puffs?  
  
Alex Ultra: No, I think you ate them all.  
  
Alex: Darn, hey, what you doin'?  
  
Alex Ultra: Gettin' ready for chapter 7.  
  
Alex: Really? Let me see!  
  
Alex Ultra: Hey! I haven't got it yet!  
  
Alex: Well, whatever, I still wanna see! I want to make sure you don't make me seem like some kind of dork or anything...  
  
Alex Ultra: Don't worry, I will!  
  
Alex: Grrr...  
  
Yet again I find myself compelled to say that I don't own DragonBall Z or any of its characters. But I do own Alex (as well as anyone else I make up in this and other stories!)  
  
Moving on....  
  
This chapter Alex learns to fly, and Tien learns a few things as well.  
  
See what I mean here in chapter 7.  
  
~~~~~~*** TAKE FLIGHT ***~~~~~~  
  
"Uhn, what time is it?"  
  
"6AM, time to get started, now get up!"  
  
"All right, all right! Just give me a minute..." Geeze, a headache is not the right thing to wake up to.  
  
"I'll be expecting you outside in five minutes. You'd better get the lead out."  
  
"Yeah, I'll hurry."  
  
"No! I mean get the lead weights out!"  
  
"Oh..." I should have known.  
  
"And make sure and get your gi nice and snug, it's supposed to be particularly cold today." I nodded my head groggily and got out of bed, or cot, or whatever...  
  
This was only my second day here, (conscious anyway...) and already he had my by his strict schedule. He had shown me around his house (a capsule house by design) and told me where everything was. I already knew where all the training equipment was and could get myself weighted down, but he had told me that I wouldn't be using them today, he wanted me to get them for him to use. Not that I was complaining... somehow, even the lead weights didn't seem all that heavy anymore!  
  
I dawned my gi and took the equipment outside.  
  
BRRRR!!! Tien wasn't kidding about it being cold! Good thing he's teaching me to harness my energy today...  
  
"About time!" Tien seemed, well, a bit tired, and as Chaotzu told me last night, he tends to get grumpy when he's tired.  
  
"Well, here they are, anyway." Tien took the weights from me and put them on.  
  
"Well, let's get started. First I want you to power up again, like you did yesterday."  
  
"Uh, sure." I assumed the position again, with my hands at my side, and started concentrating. Again, I started out slow, trying not to outpace myself, but for some reason Tien thought I was doing it wrong.  
  
"No! Don't go slow."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because, if you go slow and take your time on the battlefield you'll be dead before you get a chance to throw a single punch!"  
  
"Okay, so you want me to go fast?"  
  
"Exactly. Relax your mind, clear your lungs, and flex your muscles, but keep them relaxed."  
  
"Huh? Flex and relax..."  
  
"Just do the first two first, then it'll come to you. Then all you need to do is call it, call it like you need it."  
  
"Whatever you say..." I relaxed my mind, took a deep breath, and assumed the position, this time with my arms flexed at my side, but not so flexed that they shook like if I was angry or something, just enough to make them bulge a little. And, like before, I called it. And it came.  
  
It came in force, I was afraid I might overload again, but for some reason it didn't even tingle this time. I mean, I could tell it was there, and it was rushing to me like a herd of bulls, but it didn't seem to be causing any damage, which made me a little braver.  
  
Rather than calling for it, I started shouting. COME TO ME!! I NEED YOU HERE!!  
  
I circulated it around me, and like a reel pulling string, or a tornado sucking at anything it can reach, it came to me. More and more quickly.  
  
I was shouting now. Or, with my new high-pitched voice it might have come off as screaming!  
  
~~~ Tien ~~~  
  
Well, at least this time she's not angry. But her power is still impressive!  
  
But she's an amateur, she doesn't know the slightest thing about the martial arts, but that's okay for now, that's not what I'm teaching her, is it?  
  
Well, now that we've got the powering up part down, let's move on to other things.  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
Still... not... finished...  
  
I still wasn't at maximum. There was still some energy that I could just barely sense at the back of my mind. There was still some power that I hadn't gathered, power that I had before.  
  
So, rather than trying harder, I let go. Let go of all the efforts, of all the uncomfortable cold (which even now still threatened to give me frostbite), and even let go of the very fact that this was hard!  
  
And it came, ALL OF IT! But it didn't hurt this time, instead... instead I felt like I could do anything. Like the entire world didn't matter, like any moment now I might... might... I have... no idea how to describe it... I just know that I felt incredible! Full of energy, and calm as a cucumber.  
  
'So this is what it's like? I like it!' It's too bad Tien interrupted me. Because for the first time in my life, I felt good! For the first time, I felt whole, that something that was always missing to me, this must be it. My ki.  
  
My ki. Not anyone else's, MINE! Honestly, I didn't care how much or little I had, IT WAS MINE! And that alone made me happy.  
  
But that wasn't why I was out here, was it?  
  
Nope, not why.  
  
"Okay, now put it under you and pull up." I did as I was told, almost immediately I lifted off the ground. And started spinning out of control!  
  
"Oh shoot! I'm ge-etttiiinggg diiizzzzyy!!"  
  
"Ah! Stop! Let it go!" I tried to let my ki go and ended up landing on my but. 'Ow, more cold!' "What did I do?"  
  
"You didn't stop your energy spinning first!"  
  
"Oh, well, then, let me try again."  
  
"Good idea." He crossed his arms over his chest and watched me intently.  
  
So, I tried again, first I gathered some ki (without spinning it this time) then shoved it underneath me. When I pulled it up I took to the air again and sort of floated there for a while. "Uh, now what?"  
  
"Now, you practice!"  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Yup. That's about it."  
  
"Oh. Well okay."  
  
"I'll be over there if you get stuck or anything."  
  
"Yeah, okay." He went over 'there' (wherever that was) and I practiced my flying skills. Even when Chaotzu announced breakfast (he makes the breakfast? And I thought Tien was a loner...) I didn't even come in unless I could fly well enough to get through the door myself. A task which took me about ten minutes because I kept starting to spin around and ended up either banging into the top of the door or hitting the ground and I'd have to start over. Tien thought it was pretty funny and Chaotzu remained unaffected (as always, that kid, er, whatever he is, never shows any emotion unless it's directed toward Tien, know what I mean?)  
  
Breakfast wasn't all that great, but who's complaining? Anyway, after breakfast I went out to practice flying, I wanted to get as good at it as I could.  
  
After a little while, I started to get the hang of it. Rather than shoving my ki under me like Tien had told me to do, I found it easier and more effective if I kind of filled my body up with ki and moved THAT around. Soon (by sundown, which was only six hours after sunup, which was at nine o'clock in the morning...) I was doing everything from spins, to flips, and even flying upside-down (which was an especially interesting experience because my blood didn't seem to notice and I never got light-headed, must be the ki...). But even then I wasn't satisfied, mostly because I couldn't go very fast. My flying was sloppy and reminded me of when Goten first learned to fly.  
  
But hey, at least I could fly, right? That was enough for me.  
  
~~~ Tien ~~~  
  
'She's an awfully fast learner.' I was still in awe of how quickly she picked up flying. Now she seemed to have even more control than I do, as if I've been doing it wrong all these years.  
  
{Tien?} Chaotzu's voice in my mind brought a welcome distraction.  
  
{Yeah?}  
  
{Do you really think we ought to leave her in Japan?} I had already asked myself that question a couple of times.  
  
{Well, I don't really think we have much of a choice.}  
  
{What do you mean?}  
  
{Well, from what I see, she seems to be more powerful than either of us.}  
  
{Don't you think that's a good reason to keep her around?}  
  
{Yeah, it is a very good reason. But we also have to consider what she said about the future.}  
  
{What about the future?}  
  
{Well, mostly that it might not turn out right if she interfered. She said she's not supposed to be here, so I don't want to force her into something that might screw up the timeline.}  
  
{You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?}  
  
{Yeah, quite a while.}  
  
{Tien?}  
  
{What?}  
  
{I hope everything turns out right, anyway.}  
  
{Yeah, me too buddy.}  
  
"Hey, Tien! What are you staring at?" I must have jumped a mile from surprise when Alex dropped down in front of me. I guess I wasn't paying attention to anything while I was talking to Chaotzu.  
  
"Uh, nothing."  
  
"Okay, well anyway. I think I can do the rest of this flying thing later. So what's next?"  
  
What's next? Well, honestly I hadn't thought that far ahead because I thought she would take longer to learn to fly.  
  
Well, what does come next?  
  
"Let's turn in. We'll figure it out tomorrow."  
  
"Oh, okay." Almost gracefully she went into a reclining position in mid- air and floated in the house.  
  
"Man, what next?" And I followed her inside.  
  
What other surprises does she have in store for me?  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 7 ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, do you like it? Was it good, bad, too short, too long? Well anyway, she knows how to fly now, AND I've asserted that she's a rather quick learner.  
  
Soon I'll expose the two most prevalent ways she learns.  
  
Alex: Yup! I'm smart!  
  
Alex Ultra: Uh, huh. Whatever.  
  
Alex: Hey! It's true!  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, I know.  
  
Jennifer: Hey! Alex!  
  
Alex: What?  
  
Jennifer: What's his name is on the phone; he says he wants to talk to you!  
  
Alex: Great! Which 'what's his name'?  
  
Jennifer: The one with the eye-thingies.  
  
Alex: Oh! Coming!  
  
Alex Ultra: O.o Uh, whatever.  
  
Anyway, that's it for chapter 7. Review please!  
  
Buttercup: A U !!! Hide me!!! Please!?!?  
  
Alex Ultra: Why?  
  
Vegeta: WHERE ARE YOU!? LITTLE BRAT! I'M GOING TO WRING YOUR NECK!!  
  
Buttercup: Ahh!! [Zooms away]  
  
Blossom: Man, that guy's dangerous!  
  
Alex Ultra: Hey! Since when was there a reunion in my house?  
  
Blossom: I don't know. Hey, who are you?  
  
Alex Ultra: [Dark aura surrounds him as he reaches behind his back] Hehe, I thought I might need this. [Pulls out 'GASP' THE FRYING PAN OF DOOM DEATH AND TERROR!!!]  
  
Bubbles: AHHHHHHHH!! HE'S GONE CRAZY!!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Laughs maniacally] Ah HAHAHAHA!! THAT'S RIGHT!! NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!  
  
Vegeta: Make me!  
  
[Whack! Whang! Twonk! Bang! Thwonk!]  
  
Vegeta: OW!! Mercy! I give in to your almighty power!  
  
Alex Ultra: OUT!!!  
  
[All leave]  
  
Alex Ultra: Ahh, peace and quiet.  
  
ChiChi: Nice work!  
  
Alex Ultra: Thanks.  
  
ChiChi: That really was the perfect gift!  
  
Alex Ultra: Thanks again!  
  
ChiChi: No problem. Later! Oh, and if you see Goten tell him he's got to go home.  
  
Alex Ultra: Kay!  
  
LATER 


	8. Ki Blasts, Burst, and Bubbles?

Chapter 8 on the way! Don't ask me where I get my creativity (huh?); ask only where I get my ideas (the same place anyway).  
  
Whatever, anyway I want to get this chapter out so now I'm writing it. Also I would like to promote my other story, the one I've released recently! It's called Traveler X and it chronicles Alex's journeys through a series of Parallel dimensions! It is going to include everything from beating on the bad guys from DBZ to dimensions never before heard of! I've got entire worlds swimming around in my head and I really need to get them out and available for my devoted fans to read! That is... if I HAVE devoted fans...  
  
Anyway, this chapter has been swimming around in my head for a while so I'm going to write something down and see what comes out!  
  
Alex: [Insert big yawn here] Hey, what's up?  
  
Alex Ultra: Not much.  
  
Alex: Okay. Good night.  
  
Alex Ultra: But it's noon.  
  
Alex: Really? Oh well.  
  
Hehe, that sleeping powder really works! [Hides frying pan behind back.]  
  
On with the chapter!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
~~~~~~*** KI BLASTS, BURSTS, AND... BUBBLES? ***~~~~~~  
  
"Okay, now concentrate your energy into your hands. Got it?" Tien was gently coaching me on the ways of ki.  
  
"Uh," and I was watching my hands start to glow. Again, I was pacing myself so as not to hurt myself or anyone else. "Uhm, like this?"  
  
"Yeah, now push it out through your palm. It won't hold together very well, but it's simple and easier to do so you should get it pretty quick."  
  
"Uhm," I pointed my palm at a nearby tree and shoved my energy out through the flat of my palm. It felt kind of tingly but I definitely got results, signaled by the bright flash and the smoking pile that was once a tree. "Did I... do... that?"  
  
"Yup. That was an energy burst. It's not as controlled as a blast or ball, but it's pretty powerful at close range. But anyway, now you need to start at a ki ball, so just put your hands close together and focus your energy in between them." Well, he's quick to move on, isn't he?  
  
Well, I did as I was told, and despite all my practice with ki, and all the ki I had ('cause Tien addressed me on that last night) I just couldn't seem to force it all into one place like I wanted. Defeated, I gave up and looked at Tien. I'm sure I looked sad but I can't see myself so I really don't know. "Hey, Tien? Do you think you can show me?"  
  
Well, I don't know exactly what it was supposed to accomplish, but I wanted him to show me. So, I guess he didn't see any harm in it. "Fine." He brought one hand up to chest-level and slowly formed a ball of ki.  
  
I watched intently and made sure to keep track of where his ki was. I had found that it was rather easy to sense his ki, especially from this range. So, I watched him make his ball, and watched as he let it rise out of his hands, and then watched some more as he blew a hole in a nearby mountain- face. "Well, happy now? Huh?"  
  
I guess he was surprised by the little ball of light in my hand. Well, I wasn't surprised, I was happy! Watching him did the trick! I'm not exactly sure why, but it did.  
  
"Uh, great! Hehe, uh, now, uh, shoot it somewhere, or, something." I shot it at the mountain next to Tien's hole, and surprisingly, even though it was my first one, the hole I left was even bigger than his!! COOOL!! But that's okay, 'cause neither of us were really trying so it really didn't count.  
  
"Okay, uh, now you just need to, uh, practice... yeah." He walked off and started talking to himself. Just before he got out of earshot I heard him ask 'Why do I even try?'  
  
Well, I guess that all that was left was practice. So I set out to get some practice, maybe even get some of my specials to work?  
  
~~~ 12 hours later ~~~  
  
"Hey Tien!! Come see!!" I know I was acting childish, but I couldn't help it!  
  
"What now?" I think I interrupted Tien's meditation, so he was a little grumpy.  
  
"Look! I've got my own technique!" His expression lightened a little to something that looked like curiosity so I went on.  
  
"Well, show me."  
  
"Okay!" First I thought I would try a Manal-a-Star (Mu-n-all-ay Star). I started by the first pose, but Tien interrupted me.  
  
"Hey, that looks like the Kamehameha! How did you learn that?"  
  
"I didn't!! This is MY attack!" He only grunted and I went on.  
  
Yes, I guess it does start out like the Kamehameha, but it gets better. I put my wrists together and pulled my hands to my side, keeping the wrists together but turning my arms so they were facing each other. "Uhn," I shoved some energy into my hands and pulled them apart, so that there was a space about the size of a baseball between my hands.  
  
Now it sounds a lot like the Kamehameha, doesn't it? Well anyway, I kept pushing power into the ball between my hands, then I put my hands out in front of me (much like in Goku's technique) and the ball of energy expanded until it was big enough to cover my arms up to about half-way up my lower arms.  
  
The prep stuff finished I launched the big white ball into the air, where the tail showed itself to be only about an inch around and disappeared quickly.  
  
Tien followed the ball into the sky with his eyes and watched until it exploded, sending us both to the ground. See, I was too busy feeling proud of myself to worry about standing up, hehehe...  
  
"Well, that was, uh, interesting..."  
  
"That's not all! I have a couple more! Watch this! It's called Samal-a Star (similar pronunciation), I've got this thing for stars..." I started by getting a pose where I had one hand out in front and the other was behind me. I gathered my energy into both of them and concentrated. This attack takes a lot of concentration so it took a while to get to the next part.  
  
When I was convinced that I had enough energy I moved my hands around me so that the trails left behind made a complete circle around me. Then, with my right hand still behind me and the other in front, I moved them so that I made another circle in the other direction.  
  
Then, I quickly put my hands together and all the energy expanded and filled the entire area inside the circles I had made with my hands.  
  
"Hey! What are you doing?" Tien was worried about me, I think. Anyway it wasn't necessary 'cause I was just fine inside the ki-shield my attack had made, having expanded to include my feet and stuff.  
  
And to finish it all off I brought about half of the energy to my hands to form the beam. See, the really nifty thing about this attack (which I originally called the "Star Beam Cannon" but that sounded too stupid) is that the beam isn't round like most of them. Instead I arrange my hands so that they form a star-shape and that's how the energy comes out!  
  
I fired the beam at a large boulder and it carved out a star shape about five inches across, leaving Tien speechless. So then I thought I would leave him with a bit more to chew on.  
  
"Power! BOOST!" I took the energy away from the shield and put it into the beam, the beam lost its star shape but it gained a HUGE kick! That boulder was TOTALLY blown away as soon as the surge of energy hit it, leaving the ground with a bit of a crater and Tien with nothing left to say.  
  
"Wow! I didn't know it packed that much of a punch! Cool!"  
  
"... uh ... um ..."  
  
"Tien? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Uh, no, uh, wow, uh, hehe, um."  
  
"Please don't tell me you're broken!"  
  
"Uh, hehe, no. It's just... wow! Uh, nice... attack... uh, hehe, yeah."  
  
"You sure sound broken, or did you just forget how to talk?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, well, anyway. Didn't you say you had another one?"  
  
"Yeah! You wanna' see it?" I was really proud of this one. I thought it was really cool!  
  
"Uh, sure..." Tien was still smiling nervously, trying to keep from freaking out, or something.  
  
"Great! Okay, here it is. I don't have a name for it so tell me what you think!"  
  
I put my hands together and stood straight up with my eyes closed. As for the rest, I think Tien could tell you better.  
  
~~~ Three Eyes ~~~  
  
Okay, now what am I here for again? Oh yeah. Now I remember.  
  
Anyway, Alex just kind of stood there glowing for a second or two, nothing special. I could tell that she had a ki-shield to protect her while she did... whatever it was she was doing.  
  
I was still speechless from the last light show, so it knocked the wind out of me when I saw ki-balls forming out of mid-air! All around her Ki was forming into balls right out of mid-air! Honestly I had never seen that before, but that's why she was showing me, wasn't it?  
  
Okay, so there she was, standing there with balls of energy forming all around her. So what does she do? She opens her eyes and shouts (screams) out loud, making my ears hurt and the balls of energy pulse with a bright light! Oh, and in my surprise I didn't keep my guard up so I was knocked to my butt by the wave of energy moving away from her. And on my butt, I looked up to see that the balls of energy were forming everywhere!  
  
Hey! What? Oh, I'm done? Well, okay. Well folks, I guess Alex will take it from here.  
  
~~~ Alex ~~~  
  
I stopped gathering energy and making the energy balls. I relaxed from the stress of the attack but made sure to keep them around.  
  
"Tien? Hey, where'd you go?" I looked down and saw him on his back, staring up at a ball of energy no more that ten inches above his head. Moving that one aside I helped him up.  
  
"Wow! But, how?"  
  
"Oh, that! Well, control is very important to me. I made this attack to prove to myself that I could!" I was smiling like some kind idiot I was so proud of myself.  
  
"Well, I think you succeeded! This is incredible!"  
  
"Yeah! And I can do all sorts of things with them! See?" I started moving the ones nearest me so that they were moving in a circle around me, actually two circles going in opposite directions. "Cool, huh? And watch this!" With the two circles still going around me I took another one right out of the sky and pulled it in front of me.  
  
Concentrating hard I managed to split the six-inch ball into lots of really little points of light.  
  
"Uh, hehe, nice, I... guess..."  
  
"But that's not all! I haven't used it as an attack yet!"  
  
"Uhm, okay?"  
  
I told them all to stop and brought them closer to me. Then I put my open hand out in front of me, signaling all the little balls of energy to zoom off in the same direction, forming a bit of a stream of energy balls. It was COOL!!!  
  
Not only that, but the resulting explosions nearly blew the top off of the mountain we had earlier used for target-practice! It was cool!  
  
"Uh, uhm, hehe, that was, impressive!"  
  
"Really? You think so?"  
  
"No, that's not really the word to describe it..."  
  
My hopeful demeanor was interrupted 'cause I didn't know what to think from how he was acting. He still seemed as if I had knocked the wind out of him.  
  
"Uh, it's not?"  
  
"No, it was... INCREDIBLE!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!! I've never seen anything like it!!"  
  
I breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled proudly. "Thanks! But I still don't know what to call it!"  
  
"Well, what do you think it looks like?"  
  
I thought about it for a second, then came up with an answer. "Uh, I guess they kind of remind me of bubbles. What do you think?"  
  
"Sounds good."  
  
"Bubbles?"  
  
"Yeah. Something like that."  
  
"But what do I call it?"  
  
"It's your attack. You name it!"  
  
"Dinner's here!" Chaotzu called out to us, signaling the arrival of the Pizza (yes, pizza), and finding out just how much I like pizza by getting knocked to the floor as I passed.  
  
"Exthuse me, Khaothu!" Well, I guess I'll see you later! I've got Pizza to eat! Yum!  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 8 ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, as usual, you HAVE to tell me what you think. But this time I am drafting you all out there to come up with a name for Alex's attack! I know I should come up with a name for it on my own, but I just can't come up with anything that sounds cool. So can I depend on you to leave a name for it in a Review? Huh? Please?  
  
Alex: Mmmmm, pizza!  
  
Alex Ultra: Forget it! You've had enough already!  
  
Alex: Awww...  
  
Alex Ultra: Now why don't you go home or something?  
  
Alex: 'Cause I'm having too much fun bugging you!  
  
Alex Ultra: Makes sense.  
  
Well, I really don't have much else to say so I'll just say these two things.  
  
Next time Alex is paying a certain Namek a visit. Alex has questions and gets answers next time on Internal Flame!  
  
And, of course, until next time...  
  
LATER 


	9. New Places

Yo, I'm back and I've got a great chapter comin' down the way for you all to check out!  
  
By the way, I didn't get any suggestions for a name to Alex's attack so I guess it's still open. Anyway, on with the next chapter, I'm kind of tired of sticking with Tien so I'm getting to the point where they go their separate ways. Kind of exciting, eh?  
  
Well, anyway, here comes the chapter! No, really! I mean it!  
  
~~~~~~*** NEW PLACES ***~~~~~~  
  
Hmm, well, I may not be used to flying at high speeds yet, but I've got plenty of time to get used to it, because Tien can't go that fast anyways. "How much longer?"  
  
"Not long now, you should be able to see it now!" He was right, I could see the ball part of Korrin's tower, even though I couldn't see the tower part or the top, I could see the part where Korrin resides.  
  
"Yeah, I see it. Barely."  
  
"Okay, time to start going up!" He flew almost straight up and I followed, fighting back the urge to follow him.  
  
"Hi Korrin!" The little white cat-guy looked shocked to see someone he didn't know act like they knew him, let alone fly by as if nothing was wrong. I smiled as I looked up, and I saw the great big top of the Watch Tower, and knew that I was going to probably be putting Kami in an uncomfortable situation, or maybe not. He is the guardian, after all.  
  
"Stay here, Goku might be up here."  
  
"Okay." I waited as Tien got Kami and checked for Goku. Honestly, I don't know what we planned if Goku was coming down while we were going up. I went over the top as I saw Tien's signal, saying that it was all clear.  
  
I fumbled with my suitcase a bit, which was full of everything I had in this world, even those things that I would need if I was restored to myself again. I grunted a bit as I set the thing down. "Whew, this thing is big."  
  
"Is this the one?"  
  
"Yes, it is."  
  
"Well, let's see what we have here." I stood there nervously as Kami looked me over, I had no idea what to expect. He went into a series of 'Hmm's and 'Ahh's, which made it look like he was thinking really hard, though for the life of me I couldn't figure out what was so hard to figure out. "Okay. Now, what's the problem?"  
  
"Uh, Kami?" He looked back to me, so I continued. "See, I'm not supposed to be like this. When I came here, however that was, I was... uh, changed. And I just want to know if Shenron can help me out of my... situation." Kami looked a bit, puzzled, then turned to Tien.  
  
"So, you've told her about Shenron, eh?"  
  
Tien only shrugged. "No, sir. She seems to know a lot about us, but I know almost nothing about her, except that it was apparently an accident that she even got to this world, and that it was her own energy that changed her. Or, that's the impression I got."  
  
"Yeah, that's the only conclusion that seems to fit." Kami looked back to me.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" I shrugged, I didn't think it was important. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned around and walked back towards the main building part of the Lookout. "I'll have to look this up. It's very complicated, but only Shenron can give you a definite answer."  
  
"What now?" Tien looked down at me, I suppose he was as surprised as I was.  
  
"I guess we... wait?" So, we sat down to wait.  
  
And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Until, finally Kami came back out.  
  
And he was carrying a statue of a dragon, and Mr. Popo was carrying a large book. He looked solemn so I feared some bad news.  
  
"Well, I have some bad news." Looks like I was right.  
  
"What is it?" Tien stood up, not bothering to look at what it was Kami had brought with him.  
  
"Well, I've consulted the book," He gestured toward the book Mr. Popo was carrying, "and have found that it is possible. But there are great risks involved."  
  
I was happy to hear him say it was possible, but a little worried about the risks. "What kind of risks?"  
  
"Well, according to my research... I've found that the chances of someone in your, unique position making a safe recovery is less than one-in-one- hundred."  
  
"And what about the rest?"  
  
He looked me straight in the eye. "The results are not good." I gulped. "You could find that, after being changed back you could find yourself simply going through the same change to this form all over again." Flashes of those memories came back to me and I shuddered. I definitely didn't want to go through that again.  
  
"And what else?"  
  
"Well, the other possibility is that it could simply kill you." Well, that didn't sound so bad, but staying like this was definitely sounding better and better.  
  
"So, what's with the statue?"  
  
Kami placed the statue on the ground, as did Popo to the book. "Well, like I said before. Only Shenron can give the final word. So I thought you might want to ask him yourself." I looked at the items on the ground, then I looked up at Kami. He only nodded.  
  
So, I tried to talk to Shenron, the dragon. I knocked lightly on the glass around the statue and said, "Uh, excuse me. Shenron? Can I ask you a question?" Kami looked like I had said or done something really stupid and shocking, he nearly lost his balance and did a face vault (nearly). "Did I do something wrong?"  
  
Kami laughed slightly and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Uh, not really. I suppose I should have told you how first." He knelt down to my level and opened the book to the first page and put one hand on it, he then put the other hand on the glass around the statue. "Then you speak to him with your mind." He was silent for a moment, then he looked back to me. "He's ready to speak to you. Go ahead."  
  
"Okay." I did as he had shown me, and I heard Shenron in my head, he said {WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION?}  
  
It was novel, speaking with my mind, but I thought nothing of it. So, I spoke to him. {Uh, Shenron. See, I was wondering if it was within your power to return me to my true form?}  
  
He was silent for a moment, then he spoke again. {I DO NOT KNOW. THIS DEPENDS ON WHAT YOUR TRUE SELF IS.} I didn't know what he meant, but it wasn't a no! Well, not yet anyway. {I AM SORRY. BUT YOUR REQUEST IS IMPOSSIBLE.}  
  
{But, why?}  
  
{YOU CANNOT BE RETURNED TO YOUR PRESENT FORM.}  
  
{Huh?}  
  
{YOU ARE CONFUSED. ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN.} I had never heard of the dragon explaining anything, but then, he was still inside the DragonBalls, wasn't he? {YOU SEE, THAT WHICH CHANGED YOU FROM WHAT YOU WERE, IS YOUR JING, THAT WHICH CONTROLS WHAT YOU ARE. SO YOU SEE, YOUR CURRENT FORM IS YOUR TRUE FORM. ANYTHING ELSE WOULD BE A FALSE FORM AND YOUR JING WOULD SIMPLY CHANGE YOU AGAIN. OR SIMPLY KILL YOU. I AM SORRY, BUT THAT IS THE WAY IT IS.} Jing huh? I've heard of that, it's supposed to be the energy version of DNA or something like that. Well, that makes sense, I must have screwed it up or something when I pulled out all my ki, or when I got really mad like that.  
  
Well, Shenron has spoken. {Okay, thank you for giving me your time. Good bye.}  
  
{GOOD BYE.} So, I pulled my hands from the mystical objects and looked at the ground.  
  
"So?" Tien was curious, probably because a conversation he couldn't hear had just happened right in front of him.  
  
"Uh, he said... that it was impossible. Something about my Jing."  
  
"Jing?"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Tien. It simply means that Shenron cannot help her." Kami was being helpful. "I was afraid of such a thing. If it truly is your Jing, then that means that you brought it forth. What made you lose that much control?"  
  
I suddenly felt sad and angry at the same time. I looked at the ground and answered, "I don't want to talk about it. It's done and there's apparently nothing I can do about it now." I'm sure I looked sad, or angry, or gloomy, because that's certainly how I felt.  
  
We all sat there for a time, just sitting (or standing) in silence. Till Tien broke the silence by suggesting that we get going. "Yeah, sure. Just lead the way. I'm ready." And we went to the only place where I felt I would be able to stay out of the way.  
  
~~~~ At that place ~~~~  
  
Time Creek Westside Orphanage, or at least that's what Tien told me those scribbles over the door meant. Honestly, I couldn't read that Japanese writing. That's right, I was staying in a Japanese orphanage. How long? I don't know, but I do know that I would stay out of the way, and if anything important happened, at least I would know what was being said, in time anyway.  
  
{Tien, are you sure?}  
  
{Take it easy, there should be some translators here. They deal with a lot of English-speakers in this part of town.} Oh, did I mention that I got Chaotzu to teach me to do thought-speech? Well I did.  
  
{Well, if you say so...} There were so many people here, I wasn't so sure. But hey! I'm strong enough to take care of myself, right?  
  
Tien walked inside and led me to the back. {Adoptions. That's what it says.} I knew that, it was written in English right below the Japanese lettering after all.  
  
I only tightened my grip on my suitcase and followed him inside.  
  
He said a bunch of things I couldn't understand (in Japanese obviously) and looked at me. I smiled. What else was I supposed to do? "Uh, hi." Well, that was smart. But I guess, she wasn't expecting me to act smart, was she?  
  
"Okay, so what's your name?" She went from speaking Japanese to English in the blink of an eye.  
  
"My name? Alex."  
  
"And what about your parents? Why aren't they here?" Tien gave her a really nasty look, but it was too late. I was already lost in my thoughts.  
  
"They're gone."  
  
"Oh, where t..."  
  
"He killed them." I was getting more worked up by the second. "He killed them, right in front of me! And he liked it!" She was in for it now. "He gauged their eyes out, crushed their heads and carved out their hearts!" Now she was really worried. "And he did it, all while smiling. He ENJOYED killing them! My friends, my family. He killed them ALL!" I had nearly smashed my fingers through the handle of the suitcase, but I was still restraining myself, barely. "And I couldn't do a thing to him." Now I was muttering to myself. "No one could. Not even the cop. Cold-blooded killer, deadly monster! I'll never forgive him!" I was staring down at the floor, I was now so lost that I didn't even notice the cold sweat on my forehead. "Nothing... MONSTER!" The room was starting to spin now. "All of them. Dead. Nothing left. Nothing. Nothing!!!" I couldn't see anymore, was there something wrong? No, I was just fainting again. "Oh, man. I... I..." And I blacked out again. Too many bad memories, too soon.  
  
~~~~ Well, let's skip to, when she woke up! ~~~~  
  
I woke to a warm, though slightly stiff bed. "Ungh. Where am I?" I heard a nurse, or whatever she was, say something I still didn't understand, and walked off. Hopefully to get a translator. "Well, it looks like I'm still in Japan." I smiled. "Good."  
  
A lady walked in and looked at me, she spoke in near perfect English. "Good to see you awake! My name is Miss Kainey; I think we'll have a good time together! Tien tells me you're pretty smart! Good for you! But he also told me you want to learn Japanese, is that true?" I nodded my head. "Great! But first, let's get you settled in... do you want to see the rest of the building?"  
  
Well, what could it hurt? "Sure." And I was practically formally introduced to every nook and cranny in the building, or each room anyway. "Hello room." She actually said that! And wanted me to say it! Well, I guess I can't get past my age, oh well. I guess I'll have to get used to it.  
  
After all, I don't have any other choice, do I? Nope, didn't think so.  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 9 ***~~~~~~  
  
Okay! That's the end of that chapter! Soon she finds out what it's like being so aware of energy while two Saiyans and a Namek are fighting no more than 100 miles away! (Which really isn't that far away considering their power levels!)  
  
Like I said, not by choice, it was all practically forced on her, wasn't it? Well, anyway, it all makes more sense now, doesn't it? If you look up Jing, I'm pretty sure you'll find it described how I've described it here, though some places go into a little more detail...  
  
Well, anyway, I hope to hear from you. So review please!  
  
Alex: Yeah, that sucked.  
  
Alex Ultra: Yup, sucked pretty bad. Oh, well. You're done feeling sorry for yourself, aren't you?  
  
Alex: Hey! That was 15 years ago! I've been through a lot since then!  
  
Alex Ultra: I know! I'm writing that for you too! Remember?  
  
Alex: Oh yeah! Well, whatever. I'm hungry. [Walks off to find something to eat]  
  
Alex Ultra: Uh, sure. While she eats I hope to see you people review me.  
  
REVIEW ME!!!  
  
Uh, that's it, till  
  
LATER 


	10. And the Days Roll On

Okay, here it is, chapter ten! Whoo hoo!! Yippee!! [Does a little jig] Yeah, I'm excited too.  
  
Uhm, uh, anyway, see, today I introduce some new characters, a couple of which will pretty much be stayin' in through the whole fic. But first, Raditz comes [creepy music], yeah. Hehe, um, so, stay tuned, kay?  
  
Alex: I really wished I could fight that day.  
  
Alex Ultra: Hey, don't spoil it!  
  
Alex: I know! But they already know that I'm not getting involved!  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, but I don't want you spoiling it for them.  
  
Mystery Guest: Hey, where do I go?  
  
Alex: Back there sis.  
  
Alex Ultra: HEY! I SAID DON'T SPOIL IT!!  
  
Alex: What do you mean?  
  
Alex Ultra: -_-... And you're supposed to be a genius? Geeze...  
  
Hehe, moving on... I would like to take this opportunity to announce that I have come up with a name for Alex's attack! I'm calling it 'Omni Bubbles', leave a review and tell me what you think 'cause I can always change it if something better comes my way.  
  
OKAY!! Now, let's get down to business!!  
  
~~~~~~*** AND THE DAYS ROLL ON ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, let's see. How should I describe it? Scary. Yeah, that works.  
  
Okay, here's the deal. I've always been pretty aware, but after training with Tien for a while, I'm even more so. I've even learned some of Chaotzu's psychic techniques! So, of course I can feel how hard Goku fought against Raditz, with everything he had. And Raditz was playing around with him! Even with Piccolo's help, Goku could not gain the upper hand. That is, until he put that hand on Raditz's tail.  
  
The sharp fluctuation in his energy told me that Raditz was in terrible pain, his power level dropped to a practical zero. And yet, just as Piccolo was nearly charged (this is all from what I could feel, witty dialogue not included) Raditz was up again and on top of the pained Goku.  
  
I ran outside, hoping to maybe see something, it was still possible to see the attack that killed Goku. I could feel Gohan's energy rise from practically unnoticeable to almost greater than Goku's reduced levels. Raditz (obviously caught by surprise because his level was still far too high for it not to have been) was knocked off Goku, but Goku's strength didn't return, I knew it and he knew it. He couldn't fight normally, so he gave his life to Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon.  
  
I looked up into the sky, in the general direction of the fight, and a couple of others followed my gaze. What we saw was what I had hoped to see, the head of the Special Beam Cannon, flying off to space, where it disappeared. "Huh, must have been a shuttle or something." Was one bystander's response. "Nope, it was a green man from outer space." Was my whispered response. Did I mention that I was in the half-English section of town? Well I was. Which made it easier, you know, to buy things. Hehe, despite my little shopping trip with Tien, I still didn't have any personal effects (toothbrush, toothpaste, a brush for my now-long hair, ect...).  
  
A couple spoke something in Japanese right next to me, all I picked out was "there" and "What". Needless to say, I still had a long way to go with my Japanese. But that was okay, I had a few years to get used to it. And I intended to learn.  
  
~~~ About a year later ~~~  
  
Okay, so my Japanese still isn't all that great, but at least I can hold my own in a conversation! I was still working on the accent and I still relied heavily on using mental pictures to express some ideas. I've gotten so good with telepathy that I can not only speak, I can also convey pictures, feelings, and even block other people out! Which I don't do often because not many people out here are that aware.  
  
But hey, Kami doesn't speak too much Japanese either! Or does he? I don't know, I do know that I only spoke English to him and he only spoke English to me. So there.  
  
Why did I bring up Kami? Well, I was having trouble watching the fight through feeling it. I had to actually see it, and the Watch Tower was the only way I knew how.  
  
{Kami?}  
  
{Yes? What is it, young one?}  
  
{Um, is there anyone up there?}  
  
{No, not right now. Why? Is there a reason you ask?}  
  
{Yeah, well. I was wondering if I could join you in watching the fight up there?}  
  
{Well, you know where the tower is, so if you came of your own accord, I wouldn't kick you off.}  
  
{Oh great! Thanks! Sensing it from here is killing me!}  
  
{Okay, I'll have Popo watching for you. Ooh!}  
  
{Yeah, I'll bet that hurt. Poor Yamcha...} The fight had already started, and they were fighting the Saibamen, and winning. But Yamcha just lost his life.  
  
I ran around to the back of the gym, to the alley.  
  
"Hey there, little girl. What are you doing back here? Lost your daddy?"  
  
"A long time ago. Now out of my way, I have no time for you!"  
  
"Ooh! Watch out Bobby! Little girl is gonna beat you up!"  
  
"Look, are you gonna' move, or am I gonna move you?"  
  
"Move me." He crossed his arms and stood confidently.  
  
"You asked for it." Without further warning I jumped up at him, grabbing his wrist I hopped over his opposite shoulder and flung him over mine. The result of which saw him careening into a nearby brick wall, and then through it. Fortunately that building was abandoned and so nobody saw me. "Well, that felt good. Anyone else?" I looked around, and a number of men were looking at me strangely, not sure whether they should run or attack.  
  
One of them answered my challenge with a knife. I grabbed the knife (by the edge) and punched him in the gut, sending him to the ground, unconscious. "Let's get out of here!" The remaining three guys ran like the hounds of the underworld were after them.  
  
"Heh, street trash." With some of my aggression worked out I was free to make my way to where I was going, but not before I got my watch from the gym (the one I got for my birthday, which I decided was going to be the day Tien found me in the field, hey, it was the day I came into this world, wasn't it?) And I launched myself into the sky, headed for the tower.  
  
When I got there Popo was watering one of the trees close to the edge of the tower. "Hello, Mr. Popo."  
  
He looked up at me and stood up. "Follow me, please." He smiled my way and went over to Kami. "Kami, she's here."  
  
"Thank you, Popo." Mr. Popo nodded respectfully and went back to his plants. "Well, Alex. I believe there's a reason you asked permission before coming here?"  
  
I laughed nervously. "Well, two, actually. First, I had always been taught to ask permission and to value honesty. In fact, I'm a bit too honest for my own good. And second, well, I didn't want to run into anyone who didn't already know me." I rubbed the side of my head, yeah; I guess I do remind people of Goku. Well, people who know him anyway. (Mainly me...)  
  
"Yes, well I'm glad you did. You see, Goku is on his way here. He should be arriving any minute now."  
  
"Actually, he left a day late, so he's going to be rather late. How late I can't say, mostly because I can't remember." When I saw Kami's confused look I reminded him of the TV thing I had explained to him before. "But I can't remember everything so don't be expecting me to tell you when he gets here. That's your job, you need to warn ME so I can hide!" Kami nodded as we watched the fight on Earth. Krillin had long ago destroyed all the Saibamen and the remaining fighters were working on Nappa.  
  
I didn't hear the communication between Chaotzu and Tien, but I knew what was being said, so I relayed what I knew about the present to Kami. "Hmm." Was all he really said to me.  
  
You know what the strangest part about this was? Despite that these Saiyans were from outer space, they spoke almost perfect English. No wonder they all knew English, everyone else they fought did! You would almost expect that there would be some other language they would have to learn, but there fortunately wasn't.  
  
Oh well, whatever makes it easier.  
  
"Go, hide, now. Goku is coming." I hid, floating down to one of the lower levels where he would never go. I watched him fly off with the Nimbus and watched to make sure he hadn't seen me.  
  
When I felt the coast was clear, I went back to the top.  
  
Kami was watching intently as Nappa turned his sights on Gohan. "Okay, Gohan, run while you can." Piccolo just sacrificed himself for Gohan and I was relaying his little sacrificial speech to Kami. "Oh, shoot! Kami!" Kami was fading away, he didn't have much time and there was nothing I could do. Mr. Popo was pleading with his friend not to go. But it was too late, he was gone, and so were the DragonBalls.  
  
It's a good thing I knew what happened next, or I might have been even MORE heartbroken at seeing the two of them leave like that.  
  
The dark-hearted Piccolo, giving his and Kami's life to save a child. It was touching. Not to mention that Kami was one of the few people I could actually talk to here. He didn't always listen, but he could at least keep a secret.  
  
Just before he faded out completely I sent Piccolo a mental message. {Piccolo, good job.} Was all I said. I don't think he was even sure he heard anything at all, he didn't move, except for his smile getting slightly brighter just before he faded out completely. He probably thought it was some kind of 'Mystic Voice' that sometimes plagues people about to die. Yeah, that was my excuse. I was a 'Mystic Voice', and it was kind of cool.  
  
Now Nappa's sights were on Gohan again. But there came Goku and the Nimbus cloud to save the day!  
  
Okay, a bunch of dialogue I couldn't hear, some fighting, that Key You Ken move of his, and Nappa was blown up by Vegeta.  
  
Okay, Vegeta's turn. Lot's of fighting, some talking (okay, lots of talking), and some more fighting.  
  
The Galick Gun and Kamehameha collide. What a light show! Key You Ken 4 and Vegeta is knocked away. Now he's mad and transforms into the big beast thing with the moon. Okay, there's Yajirobe and there goes the tail. Now Gohan goes beast and beats Vegeta to the ground. Goku tells Krillin not to kill him and Vegeta gets away.  
  
Well, that was exciting, but a lot more drawn out than they make it seem on TV, a lot more. The whole thing took several hours!  
  
That's when I realized what time it was. "Oh, shoot! I'm gonna' be late!" I said good-bye to Popo, and raced off to my Martial Arts class. Yes, I was taking a class!  
  
"Oh great! Not again!" Well, it was worth it!  
  
~~~ A couple years later ~~~  
  
Now I'm eight years old, it's been three years since I 'fell' into this world. I still kept those memories of Kinkilla, and trained for my meeting with him. Well, it's been about a year since Frieza appeared on Earth and Future (Mirai) Trunks killed him and his father. That wasn't really a big event and I didn't think too much of it.  
  
But it was another event that happened that was burned into my memory.  
  
By that time I was as good at speaking Japanese as a native speaker, so I now spent most of my time in the solidly Japanese sections of town.  
  
Did I mention how much I hate Drunk Drivers? Well, I do because they are very dangerous. And around me, being dangerous is dangerous to your health. Even more so than the alcohol. Hehe.  
  
See, I was walking around downtown; there was some kind of convention going on at Capsule Corp. so there were even more people on the street than usual.  
  
SCRREEECCCHHH!!!! "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! JENNY GET BACK HERE!!!" A protective mother ran out into the street to get her daughter.  
  
I saw the disaster about to happen long before anyone else. Those two didn't have time to get out of the way. "Oh, shoot!" I knew I could do something about it, so I did.  
  
I ran out into the street and stopped in front of the mother and daughter, giving myself about twenty feet.  
  
Bracing myself for impact I readied to stop that car, which was going WAY too fast! I could hear some people screaming and some people who wanted to help but knew they couldn't. I even heard some comments in my mind. {Pity, first those two, and now a foolish little girl. Didn't her momma tell her not to be a hero?} {Oh, no! Someone stop her!} I smiled a little as the car neared.  
  
SLAM!! My hands made contact with the bumper and my feet dug into the pavement. The blacktop buckled as I dug a trench in the road with my feet. But the driver was making no effort to stop; instead he revved the engine higher.  
  
Stopping within inches of the little family I smiled that I had saved them and risked a look over the hood.  
  
The man in the passenger's seat was yelling at the driver to get going and the driver was punching it, nervously watching as the little girl that had stopped his car lifted the front end off the ground and angrily slammed it down again. The engine dropped out and the two 'criminals' looked very, very afraid.  
  
I watched as the police stopped nearby and pulled the two from the car. I didn't care why; I was too worried about the two behind me.  
  
I turned to them and saw the mother crying over her daughter, I tried to ask if they were all right, but they didn't respond to my question. Instead, the mother looked up to me, and muttered something I recognized as "Thank you." In English.  
  
I immediately reverted to English, which I'm sure surprised the two. "Are you all right?"  
  
The mother nodded, but the girl was different. "Hey, you don't talk funny! My name's Jenny, what's yours?"  
  
I smiled and told her my name as I guided them to the sidewalk. "My name's Alex. Good to meet you! You know, you really shouldn't play in the street. It's dangerous."  
  
"Okay! Hey, you wanna' play?" I smiled nervously, she was cute. But I could tell we were getting stares. No one stops a car with their bare- hands and goes unnoticed. "So where's your mommy?"  
  
I looked at her mother, and sighed. "I... don't have one. Orphaned." I felt uneasy. I had to go. I couldn't stay here anymore. "Excuse me, I have to go. Good-bye." I ran off and, just to make sure no one was following. I flew away to the orphanage.  
  
~~~ Three days later ~~~  
  
"Hey, Alex."  
  
"What?" I looked at the boy who had addressed me, Heilen. He was nice, but I didn't really like him.  
  
"I think there's someone here for you!" He was smiling, but I was confused. Here for me?  
  
I didn't say a word. I just went to the counselor's room and opened the door.  
  
"Hi." I was shocked to see Jenny, the little girl I had saved the other day, and her mother was at the table, as was another man, apparently her father. There was a boy in there who looked a bit older than me. His dark- green eyes told me he was related to Jenny, probably her brother.  
  
"Alex. These people are here for you."  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi! I'm gonna be your new sister!" Jenny had a cheerful grin on her face, I couldn't help but smile.  
  
"These are your new parents," The counselor was speaking to me in Japanese. Apparently they lived in America and were only here for the convention at Capsule Corp. Nifty! I'm getting adopted by a family of geniuses!  
  
Well, this was going to be fun, and I've got a new family too!  
  
But is that a good thing? What if something happened to them?  
  
I didn't think I could handle that.  
  
So I'd just have another reason to get strong.  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 10 ***~~~~~~  
  
Whoa! Chapter 10 finished!  
  
Did you guess who the Mystery Guest is? That's right, it's Jennifer! (Jenny's her nickname.) Oh, and do you think you can help me out? I need a last name for these people and I would really appreciate it if you could help me out (I want a Japanese sounding name please)! I really don't care what it is, if it sounds good I'll probably use it. Thanks!!  
  
Jenn: Hey, I remember that! I didn't know that there was so much to it!  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, well. There's a lot of things you don't know. Aren't there?  
  
Alex: Hey, A U? You seen my sis?  
  
Jenn: I'm right here!  
  
Alex: Oh, right. Say, you wanna' go train?  
  
Jenn: Sure! Wow, I never knew you were so deep!  
  
Alex: Yeah, like the Pacific. But I kept it pretty well hidden. [Both walk off with silly grins]  
  
Alex Ultra: Now, isn't that an inspiring picture?  
  
Jeff: Hey, bro. You seen sis?  
  
Alex Ultra: I'm not your brother, but I did see both your sisters head off to train.  
  
Jeff: Okay, come on sweetheart. I want you to meet my sister!  
  
Some girl: Okay, let's go!  
  
Whatever. Well, like I said so many times before. REVIEW ME!! I'll feel so much better and might even update sooner if you do!  
  
Well,  
  
LATER 


	11. The Training Goes On

Well, I was bored and thought I'd make chapter eleven for my 'Legendary' fic! (I only wish...) Anyway (Has anyone noticed I say that a lot?) I haven't really got any kind of plan laid out for this chapter so you can take comfort in knowing that this is all right off the cuff! (Hot off the presses people!!)  
  
Alex: Check it out! He's off his lazy keester!  
  
Alex Ultra: Hey! [Touches fingertips together] I'm not that lazy...  
  
Alex: Oh sure you are! Why, next to my brother, you're the laziest bum I know!  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, considering you keep Vegeta and Goku as company, I could probably take that as a compliment.  
  
Alex: Hmm, I guess you're right...  
  
Alex Ultra: And have you seen your brother!? He looks like some kind of macho bodybuilder!!  
  
Alex: Huh? He does? Since when did he work out?!  
  
Alex Ultra: Since he got interested in, you know... girls...  
  
Alex: Oh! Yeah, well he never did train with us. You know, Jenn and me...  
  
Jennifer: Did someone mention me?  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah, she did. [Points to Alex]  
  
Jennifer: Oh, okay! Bye!  
  
Alex: Hey! Where you goin'?  
  
Jennifer: Oh, somewhere...  
  
Alex: Hey, you come back here!!  
  
Jennifer: Hah! Can't catch me!!  
  
Alex: Wanna' bet!?  
  
Well, while those two sort out things on their end, I'll sort things out here. Namely, writing this chapter!  
  
Well, anyway, let's get on with it. (I say 'Well' a lot too...)  
  
~~~~~~*** THE TRAINING GOES ON ***~~~~~~  
  
Let's see, where's a good place to start this chapter?  
  
Oh! I know!! About six months after my adoption!! (I'm fine with being adopted, by the way...)  
  
Okay, there I was, minding my own business, which, by the way, happened to involve blowing things up! That's right! 81/2 and I was already training at a level beyond Goku! But, I only trained while they slept so they never even knew I existed! But that was fine to me... I never wanted to get them involved in my life, or vice versa.  
  
But that has nothing to do with what I'm telling here, does it? See, I was training in the back-yard (which just happened to include a good portion of the Rocky-Mountains), you know, blowing off time, waiting for my Gravity Chamber to be ready. See, I had been working on the darn thing with dad for a couple of weeks, then he goes off and gets doctor Briefs to help him instead! Well, I guess the fact that he already had one working made him more qualified to build one... doesn't it?  
  
Well, there I was, and I didn't know it, but Jennifer had followed me. I didn't know it until I had already gotten started, and I only saw her after I had already been flying around for a while. And she wasn't stupid.  
  
She knew that wasn't normal. And she wanted to fly too.  
  
"I want to fly too!" She was smiling as only a five-year-old girl can.  
  
"Uh, okay. I guess I can try to teach you! But you can't tell mom or dad about this, kay?"  
  
"Kay!"  
  
"This'll be our little secret!" Now, see. Her parents had already enrolled her in a martial arts class (she had a Brown belt by then) and I figured that she should be able to catch on pretty quick.  
  
~~~ Some time later ~~~  
  
I was wrong. She may be a Brown belt, but she was just too hyper to sit around and concentrate on her ki for hours on end.  
  
But persistence pays off and I finally got her to sit still long enough for her to bring out her ki.  
  
"Yay!"  
  
"All right! Good job Jenn!"  
  
"Thanks! Can you take these ropes off now?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. Okay." So, I took them off. (So I cheated, so sue me! At least it got her to sit still!)  
  
"Wow! Can I fly now?"  
  
"Not yet. First you need to put it underneath you and push up." Well, it took her a while, but she did it!  
  
"Great! Now you just need to practice!"  
  
"Okay! Um, Alex?"  
  
"Hmm? What is it?"  
  
She clasped her hands together and made as pleading a face as she could. "Can I train with you? Huh? Please?" I could have sworn she had little starlets in her eyes and I just couldn't turn her down.  
  
~~~ Well, time rolled on ~~~  
  
It was about a year since I was adopted now, which made me about nine years old. I had trained Jennifer enough so she could keep up with me now, but I always pushed her just hard enough to keep advancing. I had taught her a couple techniques, and she thought one up on her own (it's everyone's right!), but the one she likes the most is thought speech. She wouldn't shut up for nearly three days! And you don't even need to take a breath when you're speaking with your mind... so that was a rough three days.  
  
"Alex? Alex, whatcha' thinkin' 'bout?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, nothing! Hehe, uh, let's get back to training, kay?"  
  
"Okay, but should I turn up the thingy?"  
  
"The gravity? Sure, why not?"  
  
Not much happening, is there? Nope, I guess not.  
  
But I needed a faster way of getting around, like Instant Transmission, except I didn't have anyone to teach me that one so I had to come up with something different.  
  
"Alex, whatcha' doin'?"  
  
"I'm trying to come up with something new." I focused some energy on my arm again, and tried to poke a doorway, like I had sometimes seen on TV. There was a bright flash, but nothing more. I was doing something wrong, I could tell that nothing was happening, and each try was getting more and more frustrating.  
  
Jennifer looked confused for a second before asking me something. "Uh, was something supposed to happen?"  
  
I looked at her, then back to that spot. "Yeah, a door type-thingy is supposed to appear here and take me somewhere else."  
  
She thought for a second, then smiled broadly. "Okay! Well, it's too bad you can't just say you were already there!"  
  
"Yeah." I sighed and sat down. 'Yeah. Yeah!' "Yeah!! Jennifer! You're a genius! Well, more now than before but still a genius!"  
  
She smiled brightly for a second. "Thank you, I know." Then she got a confused look on her face. "But why am I a genius this time?"  
  
"Because! I can do it now!! If I'm already there then I don't need to TRAVEL there!"  
  
She still looked confused. "Uh, I knew that. But what do you mean?"  
  
I smiled proudly and hugged her tight, almost too tight, but hey, I was excited. "Thank you! Oh my gosh! I gotta try this!" I concentrated more ki on my arm and prepared to 'try it'.  
  
I thrust my arm forward, but at the same time I concentrated on the place I wanted to go. Rather than simply hoping it worked, I decided that I was going to 'inject' some of my ki into that place! That way I would already be there and could make two identical 'doors' so I could bring the rest of me there! Simple, huh?  
  
This time, there was no flash. Probably because each spot had only half the energy I had used. But I still pulled back rather quickly.  
  
Almost immediately something happened to that spot, and for a little way around it. The light around it started bending away from it, like some kind of backwards magnifying glass.  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"Yeah, cool!" Very cool! The energy even seemed to be spreading out and pushing the light with it! It made for some very cool special effects!  
  
"Hey, what's happening now?" I really didn't know how to answer that question, but it definitely looked cool. At the middle of the, uh, whatever it is, 'I'll call it a gate. Yeah, that sounds good.', the light was bending so badly that it was turning black! But the whole thing was only about three feet across!  
  
"Cool!" Is that all she can think to say?  
  
The black edged its way out until it was really close to the edge, then it just sat there, and I decided that it was now or never. "Well, it's now or never. Here goes nothing!" So I jumped in, and found myself floating inside. 'Huh, so that's how it works!' I could sense the whole thing and on the inside (if you could call it that) it was completely empty. Totally devoid of energy! Not only that, but there seemed to be some kind of tunnel, it wasn't very long, and it only took me a few seconds to get to the other end, which I figured must be the exit, or something.  
  
I popped my head out, and Kami nearly fell on his butt!  
  
"Who are you!?"  
  
"Oh, come on! Don't you recognize me!?"  
  
"No, I don't believe so..."  
  
"It's me! Alex!"  
  
"Alex who? And how the heck did you get here!?"  
  
"Uh, okay. Uh, where's Mr. Popo?"  
  
"Popo who! What are you talking about!?" I looked quizzically at Kami for a second, something wasn't adding up here.  
  
"Kami, where's Goku?"  
  
He looked angry for a second, then went quiet. "He died, a long time ago." This made me even more confused, so I asked what year it was.  
  
When I heard his answer I gasped and jumped back in. His answer was nearly twenty years too far back!  
  
I had gone to another dimension!  
  
"Alex! Alex? What's wrong!?"  
  
I was breathing hard and my heart was racing, but I managed to answer her as the gate closed. "I [pant] went to [pant] another dimension. [pant pant] Goku was dead there, [pant] and Kami had never heard of Popo."  
  
"Really? Neat! But that thing feels kind of funny."  
  
"Funny? Funny how?"  
  
"It was cold, not like all those balls you normally make, kind of... empty."  
  
"Hey! I like that! I'll call it 'Cold Warp Gate'!" Jennifer looked at me kind of funny. "What!? I like it!"  
  
"Hehe, Whatever!" She tackled me to the ground and I decided anything else could wait for later.  
  
"So, what do you want to do now?"  
  
"Let's spar!"  
  
"Okay!" 'Next I have to get it to stay in one dimension. That would be good.'  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 11 ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for this chapter! Uh, what else should I be saying?  
  
Um, review now!  
  
Alex: Okay, now where did you put that popcorn?  
  
Alex Ultra: You're stepping on it.  
  
Alex: I am? I am!  
  
Alex Ultra: Now help me clean this up!  
  
Alex: Okay!  
  
Okay, well I'm tired so I'm not going to say much more. But I am hoping to see your reviews telling me what you think so, REVIEW ME NOW!! I'm not too proud to admit that I'm not sure what next chapter's going to be like, so don't be too worried if it takes a while. That means I'm thinking about it (and my assignments... yeah). Well,  
  
LATER 


	12. Continues Growing Up

Okay, uh, I know something comes next, but I can't remember what...  
  
Man, I'm so bored I can't think straight.  
  
Oh! I found and fixed an error in this story where the first three chapters were all screwed up! I don't know how it happened, but for some reason the computer had the second chapter first, the third second, and the first third! I fixed it and it should work right now... @#$ computer!  
  
Also, I didn't realize it till recently, but I seemed to have stopped putting disclaimers on my chapters. I don't know if this happened by accident, or if I stopped doing it on purpose (and I'm too lazy to look), so I'm just going to put one here that should straighten it out for anyone who cares, and then continue not putting them 'cause they annoy me.  
  
I don't own DBZ, and I never will. I'm just a bored teenager with an overactive imagination and too much time on his hands. I've practically made DBZ my religion, but it's not my property so there!!!!  
  
And, I've decided on a name. Her new last name is, dum dum dum! Hintuki!!! Sorry, only one suggestion was made and I had already made one I like, so I used that! Sorry Vee!  
  
Ahh, I feel better! Now, on with the part where Alex interrupts me and we have a short conversation ('cause we all love 'em soo much).  
  
Alex: Did you really need to say that?  
  
Alex Ultra: No, but I'm feeling creative today.  
  
Alex: You didn't say that earlier!  
  
Alex Ultra: Well I'm saying it now, so there!!!  
  
Alex: So what's your point?  
  
Alex Ultra: Uh... ... ... ...  
  
Alex: Well?  
  
Alex Ultra: My sword!  
  
Alex: ?  
  
Alex Ultra: My Titan Sword! Check it out! It rocks!  
  
Alex: Where did that come from?  
  
Alex Ultra: Originally from my fic DragonSword, but then I got one for myself!  
  
Alex: You just had to mention that, didn't you?  
  
Alex Ultra: Yes, I did. [Evil Smirk]  
  
Alex: Fine, but why don't you describe your new 'toy' to your readers? [She's in one of her 'smart' moods right now... hehehe]  
  
Alex Ultra: Okay! Well, it's like a Broad Sword, but better 'cause the middle is hollow making light like a ninja sword!  
  
Alex: And it's electrified...  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah! Well, technically it's not electric, it's magic. Well, part magic. It's got a lot of design in it (one of my friends designed it, hehehe, he loves swords!) and it's REALLY powerful! The perfect match up for the (strange echoes) FRYING PAN OF DOOM, DEATH, AND TERROR!! Don't you think?  
  
Alex: Uh, yeah. Except it's got light energy, rather than a dark aura.  
  
Alex Ultra: [Smiles stupidly] Yeah, and its name is Titan! It's the sword my original fic [Snaps to an almost commercial quality stare] 'DragonSword, only on FictionPress.net, from the same author that brings you this and many other fics. DragonSword is great!' (Sorry, I couldn't help it...) revolves around. I basically made a copy for me! Eat your heart out Samurai Jack!  
  
Alex: Yeah. Okay.  
  
Alex Ultra: [Swings the sword as his huge eyes watch the thing intently] Oh, man. I love this thing. IT'S PERFECT!!  
  
I know I'm a nutcase; no one has to rub it in. But anyway, if anyone is actually reading this, I have just two more things to say.  
  
First, I love this story, and would never abandon it. I love my reviewers and thank them all with all the sincerity I can muster. The only problem is that I don't have very many of either reviewers or reviews! And considering how old this fic is already, that's kind of disheartening.  
  
And second, I want to advertise my other stories! Most who read this story probably already know about Traveler X so I don't need to go over that one. But to this day I still have no reviews for Hidden Power, the very first fic I ever posted here on ff.n! The result of which is that it hasn't been updated in forever! If enough interest is shown in it, or I finish one of my other fics, I will probably start updating it again. But for now it just sits there, waiting.  
  
Oh, well, that's the end of my sob story. On with the new chapter! Chapter 12.  
  
~~~~~~*** CONTINUES GROWING UP ***~~~~~~  
  
YAY!! I get to go to school! I mean, yeah, I've already been to school before, but I didn't pay much attention the first time. And besides, my parents insisted.  
  
But besides that, it lets me get out of the house and do something, around people!  
  
And besides, as much as I wanted to keep a low profile, I also wanted to show off a bit. Even if it was just a bit.  
  
Jennifer's complaining voice brought me back to reality. "Alex! Let's go already!" I looked over at her, she had on her little pink backpack full of books (she was going to be in seventh grade by then, even though she was only seven) and I could tell she loved wearing that little skirt mom had picked out for her. I was happy for her, but I felt kind of stupid myself. You know, I was getting used to living this life, but I still felt kind of stupid wearing those things I was expected to wear. But, whatever.  
  
Did I mention that I wasn't quite comfortable standing there wearing Pooh-bear jean-shorts and a pink Piglet shirt? Never did like Pooh much...  
  
"Uh, yeah. Let's go." So, we took off (ignoring the bus 'cause we didn't need it...). "Where's your armbands?" I pointed to my own armbands, which actually looked like fingerless gloves that went halfway up my lower arms. They were weighted for training, which is why I wore them. Jenny only shrugged.  
  
We landed. You know, it's kind of nice to live so close to your school, but it makes for an awfully short flight. "See ya after school, kay?"  
  
"Kay!" We went our separate ways as we went to our first classes.  
  
"Ah, here we are!" The teacher of my first class, Mr. Schmidt, gestured in my direction. "Class, we have a very special student coming to our class today. A Miss Alex Hintuki." I received some rather uneasy stares as I stood before the class, I'm sure I was blushing, but I've never blushed before so I really couldn't tell. Hehe, never really felt the need to... yeah.  
  
While I stood there just standing like an idiot I overheard some tidbits of whispering from the class. They included "But she's just a kid!" "Hintuki? As in, Leon Hintuki? No wonder..." "...probably bought her way in..." and "Hey! Sit by me!". That last one came from a blonde girl in the third row.  
  
"Alex has taken a placement test and she was found to be at this level, which is more than I can say for some of you who ACT like they should still be freshmen." His level, berating tone quieted the class quite a bit and he asked me to take my seat. I took the seat next to the girl who was still waving me down.  
  
I didn't know at the time what I was getting in to, until she asked her first question. "So, what's your name?" I nearly fell off my chair as everyone in earshot started laughing uncontrollably, and considering how loudly she spoke, that was the whole class.  
  
"What? What's so funny?" I'm still not exactly sure how I handled that one.  
  
~~ Lunchtime ~~  
  
I was getting my stuff out of my locker, still trying to block out Ruby's constant chatter. It seemed that I had five classes a day with her and she's picked me to be her new best friend, considering we were both fairly new. "Hey! Those are really cool gloves! Can I try one on?"  
  
"Uh, I don't think that's such a good...!" Too late, she was already trying to pick one up, trying being the operative word.  
  
"Wow! These are heavy! Ungh! Rrrgh! Ahh!" She managed to drop the thing on the floor, allowing me to pick it up out of the small crater it made and put it back in my locker, to keep it from getting dirty. "Say, why are those things so heavy?"  
  
I looked at her with a smirk; I had always wanted to see how people would react to my strength. "Uh, heh. They help me get stronger. But besides that, I barely even notice it anyway!" I was laughing, which I think came out as more of a giggle, even though I couldn't hear myself, I'm sure that's how it came out.  
  
"Oh, well okay! Whatever!"  
  
We walked to the lunchroom still talking, me finding myself more and more involved in the chatter, when someone stopped us.  
  
"Hey there!"  
  
I didn't like the look of these guys; they dressed like punks, complete with chained-wallets and nasty hairdos. "Hello."  
  
"Where are you goin', huh? Rich girl?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll bet you've got all sorts of lunch money, hehe."  
  
"Hey! You guys leave her alone!"  
  
"Oh? And why should we do that? Are you gonna stop us?"  
  
"No, but I will, if I have to." The two of them looked at me like I was stupid.  
  
"Oh really? You're gonna stop us? Ha! You and what army?" The second one was in convulsions now, laughing hard enough for the both of them.  
  
And the first one (in the order they first spoke, by the way) was teasing us. "Oh wait, Tim! She might be serious! She could really hurt us! HAHAHA!!!" Now they were both doubling over in laughter.  
  
"I see a little demonstration is in order." I walked over to some nearby stairs and grabbed the handrail, pulling it straight out of the wall. They weren't laughing anymore. "See, I wasn't kidding. But I don't want to hurt you, so I'll just leave you with something to think about..." I didn't even grunt as I bent the steel pipe into a pretzel shape and let it drop to the ground.  
  
They didn't bother us again.  
  
~~ After school ~~  
  
"Hey Jen! You gonna go home?"  
  
"Yeah, why? Aren't you?"  
  
"Nah, I think I'll walk around town for a little while. What about you?"  
  
"I got homework."  
  
I nearly doubled over from the shock of it; it was only the first day of school! "Already!?!?"  
  
"Yeah, I got it in P.E. But it sounds like I should have gotten it in Life Science (another of her classes)."  
  
"Really? What is it?"  
  
"I'm supposed to learn about crickets! What does that have to do with P.E. anyway?"  
  
I laughed, uh, well, I just laughed a little. "Hehe, uh, why don't you go ask dad, huh?"  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
"Just do! Okay, see you when I get home!"  
  
"Okay, bye!" She flew off and I went back downstairs to go out the front doors. Fortunately, I didn't have any homework, so I decided I was going to walk around the city for a while. See, I had never really gone to the city, on my own anyway. Remember how I said I lived close? Well, we live about a mile outside the city and two from the school, but I still consider that close so, heh, yeah.  
  
"I know! I'll go see Art!" Oh, and that city is the one where Art is, remember him? I've been getting Gis from him, for me and Jenny both. One more thing I've found out about this world is that there is no Chicago here, or New York, though there is a Washington D.C. The people seem about the same and a bunch of other things are the same, but a lot of the cities are rather different, and at least 20 states have different names. I'm not sure why, really, but I was in one called 'Idali', apparently replacing, uh, the one south of Colorado (I never was very good with Geography). And the city was called 'Black-Star', it was apparently a mining town a long time ago when, ah, you don't want to hear all this, do you?  
  
That's what I thought. The point is that's where I lived, just outside of the largest city in the state. Though still not quite as big as Tokyo.  
  
I was walking around, wait, haven't we already gone over this? No? Okay, well I was on my way to the mall, you know, minding my own business, purposefully taking it slow, when I was stopped by a bunch of guys who looked a lot like those two at school.  
  
"Hey, little girl. Where's your mommy?" The one who seemed to be the leader grinned and moved in, trying to get me into the alley where no one could see. I played along and let them follow me into the darkness of the alley.  
  
"At home." I tried to act nervous, even though I wasn't. I don't know how good my acting is, but they apparently bought it.  
  
"Oh really? Well that's too bad!"  
  
"You know, you really shouldn't be runnin around by yourself out here. It's kinda dangerous."  
  
I smirked a little, earning a few confused glances from some of the gang. "Oh, I don't know. Doesn't seem too dangerous to me." I took a defensive stance to show I was ready for a fight.  
  
"What are you, some kind of idiot?!"  
  
"What do you think you can do to us, huh? Now why don't you just give us everything you got and we'll leave you alone."  
  
I was silent for a while, and just stood without moving. I had no attachment to any of my stuff, but I didn't want them to get it anyway. What made them think they deserved it? "No thanks." I wasn't moving, but my heart was beating. Not of fear, but of excitement. 'Man! Totally Hollywood!' I smiled a bit more.  
  
But they must have thought I was crazy. "Hey! What kind of idiot are you, huh?"  
  
For a while, I didn't say anything, I didn't have anything to say. But then I broke the silence. "Are you guys gonna make the first move? Or am I going to have to go first?"  
  
"What!? Fine! Bill! Teach her why no one challenges us!" The one called Bill nodded his head and cracked his knuckles.  
  
"Little girly's gonna find out what pain means." He didn't sound too smart, which was fine with me 'cause I was gonna knock the stupid out of him.  
  
He tried to kick me in the stomach but I blocked his foot, pulled it up and held it there till he figured out what had just happened. "Looks like you're stuck. Hehe." I let go of his foot and let him get away. Some of the other guys looked at him kind of funny and he looked at me angrily.  
  
"AAAHHH!!!" He tried to punch me in the face from above, which wasn't hard, you know, to come from above.  
  
I grabbed his fist and sent him flying over my shoulder, where he crashed into a trashcan, unconscious.  
  
The others looked shocked for a second, then confused, then angry. "I'll teach YOU!!" One of them came at me with a knife. It was about six inches long with a wooden handle.  
  
And was totally useless.  
  
I grabbed the knife-edge in one hand and smacked the idiot in the gut a couple of times with the other. "Too slow." I smirked as I watched his face turn from anger, to pain, to nothing as he passed out and fell on top of me.  
  
As I gingerly laid him down I heard a click from behind me. Some of the punks had pulled out pistols and had them aimed directly for me.  
  
I narrowed my eyes angrily and smiled dangerously as if to say, 'Go ahead and try.'  
  
"I don't know what you are, but I bet you're not bullet-proof!"  
  
My only thought was 'Bullets are so overrated.' Before I could react, however, he fired off a couple of shots.  
  
The first zinged harmlessly by my ear, I dodged the second, and the third went harmlessly to my side. 'Man, what bad aim!'  
  
Before I could even think of what to do next, the guy to my left started firing off shots. I dodged the first, leaving it to ricochet off the ground behind. "Oh shoot!" And that he did.  
  
I stretched beside me and blocked the bullet with my armband, I caught the next one, and the third one I smacked harmlessly away. Now I was angry. "You idiot!" He stopped in mid shot. "What do you think you're doing!?" From his confused expression I got that he had no idea.  
  
But his buddy did. "Damn it Bobby! You could have killed Nick!" The unconscious body of the guy with the knife was still on the ground beside me, and I had stopped three bullets that otherwise would have hit him.  
  
"Shoot at me fine! But leave other people out of it!" He dropped the gun and stammered uncontrollably, not knowing what to say.  
  
I let him alone and turned to the other guy, the one I guessed to be their leader. "He's fine, but any more out of you and you may find yourselves in hospital beds!"  
  
He put his gun down, letting it drop to the ground. "No way. You saved his life, so you're alright in my book." He smiled a little. "Besides, why try to fight a superhero?"  
  
"Hey, I'm no superhero, do you see me wearing tights? I didn't think so. I'm just a little girl out for a walk. So maybe you should think about what you're doing before you do it, huh?" I smiled as I walked away.  
  
You know? I felt kind of guilty, not cause I didn't turn them in. Rather, it was because, well, I was having WAY too much fun! 'And Alex wins the Oscar for best performance!' I laughed the rest of the way to the mall.  
  
~~ Art's back! ~~  
  
"Hey! Art! You here?" I glided to the back of the sporting-goods shop, passing assorted work-out themed clothes, a bunch of barbells, a whole lot of useless machines that people buy anyway, and a small pharmacy's worth of vitamins and stuff.  
  
"What? Oh! Hey, fly-girl! What's up?"  
  
I smiled at the familiar face. "Nothing much. But hey, do you think you can make me another gi?"  
  
"What happened to the last one?"  
  
I laughed in spite of myself. How was I supposed to tell him I disintegrated it? "Uh, you know, hehe, I, uh, kind of, blew it up." I had a sheepish grin on my face and was playing with the ends of my hair, a habit I had picked up from my sister.  
  
Art only laughed. "Again? Haha! I swear! You go through them faster than Ten-man!" He laughed heartily for a moment, then caught his breath. "Oh, man! Okay, let's get you in back. Any changes this time?"  
  
I smiled; Art didn't like making any two gis exactly alike. "I've got a couple ideas."  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 12 ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, that's it for this chapter!! What do you think? I think that the street-fight was kept waiting FAR too long!  
  
I would like to take this opportunity to 'toot' someone else's horn, so to speak. See, I'm a reader as well as a writer and I've recently read an incredible fic that I thought I'd advertise here. It's called Collision and Sierrakoi is the author(ess). You can find it at http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1019938. It's a really great Cell fic and I was so impressed with it that I was actually envious!!! (Hey, it happens...) My only regret is that I didn't find it sooner. [pouts despite himself...]  
  
Alex: You pout?  
  
Alex Ultra: Yeah! When I feel like being dramatic!  
  
Alex: [nervous grin] But you're ALWAYS dramatic!  
  
Alex Ultra: EXACTLY!! So I can do as I like! [Hops around dancing like a monkey and shouting and laughing like a madman]  
  
Alex: [confused and disturbed] Okay, that's enough caffeine for you.  
  
Alex Ultra: [now hopping on one foot] Review me before I become contagious!! [Rushes to the screen and makes puppy dog eyes] PLEASE!?!?!?  
  
Alex: [still nervous, confused, and disturbed] Please people? Maybe it will shut him up!?  
  
Alex Ultra: Hah! You can't get on my nerves now! Can you!?  
  
Alex: [Sweatdrop]  
  
AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Caffeine good for me hyper!! HAHAHA!!  
  
And I haven't even had any sugar today, hmm. I'll go have a candy bar!!!  
  
Uh, till next time!  
  
LATER 


	13. Reflections

Hello! I'm back!! Hello! I'm back!! Hello! I'm back!!  
  
Alex: ALL RIGHT ALREADY! THEY GET THE IDEA!!!  
  
Alex Ultra: So? I thought I would rub it in!  
  
Alex: Well, you don't must!  
  
Alex Ultra: Don't must?  
  
Alex: I meant to say 'Don't hafta.' But the computer decided it liked 'must' better. I don't know why. HAHAHA!!! I never knew computers had a sense of humor!! HAHAHA!!  
  
Alex Ultra: They don't, it just doesn't know what 'hafta' is. Though it puzzles me as to why it would want 'must'.  
  
Alex: Well, I just went by what the computer wanted 'cause it was funny!  
  
Alex Ultra: Well, if we went by what this stupid computer wanted all the time. No one would be able to understand this fic at all! Frieza would be freezer, Vegeta would be vegetable, Goku would be joking, and the whole sound of the fic would be interrupted!!  
  
Alex: ... So, what you're saying is, our readers should thank the heavens that we don't listen to the stupid computer?  
  
Alex Ultra: ... Yeah, basically. Well, on with whatever it was I got my lazy butt over here to do!  
  
Alex: And what was that?  
  
Alex Ultra: ...  
  
Alex: Well?  
  
Alex Ultra: I forgot...  
  
Alex: Augh! Just write the chapter!  
  
Alex Ultra: THAT'S IT!!!  
  
Alex: [Blinks] Huh?  
  
Alex Ultra: Oh, and you won't actually be in this chapter.  
  
Alex: WHAT DO YOU MEAN!!??  
  
Alex Ultra: It will still be about you, but you won't be in it.  
  
Alex: I don't get it... what do you mean?  
  
Alex Ultra: You'll see.  
  
~~~~~~*** REFLECTIONS ***~~~~~~  
  
~~~ Mom ~~~  
  
My name is Leanne Hintuki. Yes, I must say I was afraid. The day I first met Alex, Jennifer and I were taking a break from the endless meetings my husband was a guest at. We were shopping in one of the few sections of West City that had English-speaking stores.  
  
Jennifer was hyper though, and she wanted to play.  
  
But when I heard that car screeching around the street the way they were, the only thing I could think about was protecting Jennifer.  
  
But, seeing that car barreling down on us the way it was, I froze. My mind drew a total blank.  
  
I thought it was all over, I didn't even see my life flash before my eyes. There wasn't enough time.  
  
I froze, but she didn't. I didn't know why or how, but right before my blank eyes, she stopped that car.  
  
Impressed? Yes. But more than anything else I was shocked, speechless, and totally grateful.  
  
I had noticed a small smile cross her features, and I knew she was glad that she had saved us.  
  
She said something to me, I'm sure it was in Japanese but I really couldn't tell. "Thank you." I looked her directly in the eyes and thanked her from the bottom of my heart.  
  
And the thing that struck me hardest was how young she was. Perhaps not much younger than my oldest, Jeff.  
  
She smiled again and spoke again, in English. "Are you two alright?"  
  
I was so shell shocked at hearing her speak English so flawlessly that all I could manage was to nod numbly. But Jenn was never one to do things quietly. "Hey, you don't talk funny! My name's Jenny, what's yours?"  
  
She smiled, a surprisingly warm smile. Despite her youth, I got the feeling she knew things I didn't. Like she'd been around the block a few times. "My name's Alex. Good to meet you! You know, you really shouldn't play in the street. It's dangerous." She led us to the sidewalk, honestly, I'm glad she did. Because I'm not so sure I could have found it on my own right then.  
  
But Jennifer wanted to make friends with everyone. I loved that about her, but sometimes I feared she was just a bit too open. "Okay! Hey, you wanna' play?" She smiled that warm smile again, and looked around wordlessly. She seemed nervous about something I couldn't figure out. But Jennifer wasn't deterred by not having an answer. "So where's your mommy?"  
  
I could immediately tell she had asked just the wrong question. Alex's warm expression immediately turned to a pained one. "I... don't have one. Orphaned."  
  
She squirmed a bit. Orphaned. That one word was heard so much in Japan, but this little girl didn't deserve it. "Excuse me, I have to go. Good- bye." She broke away from the crowd and ran down an alley.  
  
Jenny pulled on my shirt to get my attention. I looked down at her to see her innocent face covered in confusion. "Mommy? What's 'Owerfanned' mean?"  
  
I thought for a moment, then smiled. "It means... that you're going to have a new sister to play with soon." I don't know if she was sure what I meant, but she smiled, satisfied.  
  
She had saved our lives. Perhaps I could return the favor and offer her a new one.  
  
~~~ Less than a day later ~~~  
  
I didn't have much to go on. I only knew two things. A name and the fact she was an orphan. And what made it worse was that I still had to attend those meetings from 10:00AM to 4:00PM. That left only a couple hours to check every one of the dozens of orphanages in West City.  
  
"Honey, just give up!" I gave Leon a nasty look almost instantly.  
  
"Jennifer and I would be DEAD right now if it wasn't for her! I can't just let her go!"  
  
He backed off right away. Heh, I can be a real bitch when I haven't had enough sleep! "Well, at least don't worry about it so much. You've barely slept in the past two days, and the convention is over so we'll have more time now. Just calm down and we'll keep looking." He was currently driving down one of West City's many streets headed for one of the last two orphanages in the city. If it wasn't one of these two then we'd have to search every alleyway and gutter. But judging by her clothes I didn't think she was living on the street. They were just too clean, and only had tears where the road had torn them when she had torn up the road. (I had made sure to pay for the damage, out of good conscience.)  
  
That fact still bothered me. 'How can a little girl stop a car and tear up the road like that!? It just doesn't make sense!'  
  
"Mrs. Hintuki? We are here."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Well, I guess it translates to 'Time Creek Westside Orphanage'."  
  
"Oh, the orphanage. Hehe, sorry. I was thinking again."  
  
Leon laughed slightly. "Hehe! Now, what have I told you about that?" I smiled and followed him inside.  
  
I didn't see her on the way in. It almost made me give up right then. But I wanted confirmation; she could have been out or something.  
  
"Alex? Let me see. Oh yes! She came in about three years ago. Sad story really."  
  
"What do you mean? What happened to her parents?" I wasn't prepared for the message I got, or maybe I was. I'm not sure and I don't think I was then either. Nothing could have prepared me for the story I heard, not really.  
  
"Well, apparently they were killed." She looked me in the eye. "Right in front of her. Would you like to hear the tape?" I was shell-shocked, but I nodded.  
  
What I heard was horrible, and the tape relayed every word in the soundproof room. "And what about your parents? Why aren't they here?" The first sound was the counselor.  
  
"They're gone." Alex's voice came next.  
  
"Oh, where t..." The counselor didn't even get to finish her thought.  
  
"He killed them." A short pause and she continued, sounding agitated. "He killed them, right in front of me! And he liked it!" She stressed that she saw it, and her dislike at him liking it, not that I blamed her. "He gauged their eyes out, crushed their heads and carved out their hearts!" Her vivid descriptions of their deaths frightened me a little. "And he did it, all while smiling. He ENJOYED killing them! My friends, my family. He killed them ALL!" I could barely hold back tears as I heard slight gasps coming from the counselor on the tape, and a worried male voice as well. "And I couldn't do a thing to him." Her voice got a bit softer as she went on. "No one could. Not even the cop. Cold-blooded killer, deadly monster! I'll never forgive him!" Now she started sounding hysterical. "Nothing... MONSTER!" She was talking to herself, I could tell. "All of them. Dead. Nothing left. Nothing. Nothing!!!" She sounded suddenly weak. "Oh, man. I... I..." A light thud was heard as I assume she passed out.  
  
The counselor stopped the tape there. I had tears running down my cheeks as if I had just been there myself. "That's it, she fainted from there and hasn't spoken about it since." I nodded.  
  
I was already sure it was the right one, but I still needed to know for sure. "Can I see a picture?"  
  
"Certainly!" She reached in a file and pulled out a sheet of paper with a picture clipped to it. It was her.  
  
I nodded again and she opened a door. She stopped a young boy and said something in Japanese. He ran off and soon after she walked in.  
  
That was how we took her into our family.  
  
~~~ Jennifer ~~~  
  
I like her!! Haha! She's fun!  
  
What? Hey! How was I supposed to know that 'Cricket' was a game!? Huh? Oh! Right!  
  
Uh, how to start? I was too young to really remember the day we met, so why don't I go over something a little more recent?  
  
"Whatcha doin?"  
  
She looked back to me coldly, I'm not used to her being so cold with me. But she instantly warmed back up. "I'm going somewhere."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"To my past..." She wasn't even really looking at me, more like through me. I must admit there're a lot of things I don't know about her.  
  
She smiled and pulled her energy to her arm. She turned around and punched a hole, that black one she likes so much. This was a cold one and I could tell she was going to another world. The cold ones always meant something was different; the warm ones meant she was going to town or something...  
  
"Hey, wait! Can't I come?" She put an air-helmet on and looked back to me.  
  
"Sorry, no. This is something I have to do on my own." She locked the helmet and jumped in, I'm not sure what she was expecting, but it couldn't be good if she didn't take me along.  
  
But there was nothing I could do, so I waited. The gateway closed but I still waited. I was still there after dark but I still waited.  
  
Then it opened again. And she hopped out.  
  
I smiled and wanted to drop everything to welcome back. But something stopped me.  
  
She had been crying, I could tell. Her eyes looked irritated and she looked tired. But that wasn't what stopped me.  
  
She was different; she looked, and felt, stronger. And something else.  
  
Her hair, it was a different color, as were her eyes. Both brown, and her hair was straight up in the air, kind of like the pictures of Vegeta she had shown me.  
  
Wordlessly she calmed down and dropped her ki. Almost instantly her hair went limp again and her eyes returned to blue. She simply walked quietly out of the room, leaving me confused.  
  
That was yesterday. And she says she has something to tell me.  
  
I don't care if it's bad, just as long as it's really her. That's what matters.  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 13 ***~~~~~~  
  
Well, that fills in some of the gaps. Well, I hope so, that's why I made this chapter! Oh, and Alex narrates the next chapter again, and just because it's not really complete without it, she'll be telling what happened while she was gone, and why she left.  
  
Some may already know, but it belongs in this fic, so it will be placed there.  
  
But till then, review me and tell me what you think, kay?  
  
LATER 


	14. The Day

Okay, here it is. I've had to do some digging and some extra looking into it, but here it is.  
  
Now, I'm going to put some background and some foreground into this so find it (if you're bored enough).  
  
No names have been changed because no one is innocent and don't need protecting.  
  
~~~~~~*** THE DAY ***~~~~~~  
  
For a long time I had noticed it. This world, and the worlds I have gone to, each have a specific feel. Each with their own frequency.  
  
But no matter where I go, none of it is familiar. Having mastered the use of my 'Cold Warp Gate' so that I can make it take me to any alternate universe and to any specific time in that world, I have sought out a place similar to my own world. My own spirit, soul, mind, and body have their own feel and it has taken me a long time to find that frequency.  
  
So one day, I decided to face reality, I knew that it couldn't be good, but I just had to know the fate of my world.  
  
I was in the training room, and had brought some things with me. Mostly things to help me breathe in empty space, because even if Earth was there, I was going to appear just outside its atmosphere, or where it should have been.  
  
"Whatcha doin?"  
  
Jenny had followed me, but I wasn't ready to deal with anyone yet. Turning around I gave her a cold stare. But seeing the apprehension in her eyes I realized my mistake and fought to lighten up. I attempted a smile and answered her question. "I'm going somewhere."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"To my past..." It wasn't really an answer, but it was the best I could do to describe it for now, especially since I didn't know what to expect.  
  
I smiled and pulled some energy to my arm. Turning around, I punched a hole, one of my Cold Warp Gates. This was a cold one because I was going to another world. The cold ones always meant that something was different where I was going; the 'warm' ones meant I was going to town or something...  
  
"Hey, wait! Can't I come?" I looked back to her as I put my air helmet on, she looked worried. And I don't blame her, I'm not usually this held back.  
  
"Sorry, no. This is something I have to do on my own." Locking the helmet, I decided it was now or never and jumped in.  
  
The emptiness of the portal seemed different this time. Somehow, it didn't seem to end. Even when I came to the other end, I found it hard to tell the difference between the emptiness of the portal, and the emptiness of the world.  
  
It was just like I had always feared, but it was worse than I, no, ANYONE could have ever imagined!  
  
There was nothing left. In every direction possible, there was nothing but black. No stars, no planets. As far as I could see or sense, there was no energy. The destruction was so total that even the world of spirits, the realm of the Kais, was empty... no Kais, no planets, not even a single lingering soul.  
  
Them emptiness was so complete, so total, so entirely empty, that I couldn't find any kind of reason for it. I couldn't even find the strength in myself to keep going.  
  
Overwhelmed, I broke into tears over the lost memory of those people.  
  
'Everything is gone.' My thoughts returned to that world. 'My family, my friends, my entire world! All gone!'  
  
It was then that I heard that voice in my head. {Wonderful work! Wouldn't you say?} Turning frantically, I turned to find the source of that menacing voice in my head, above me, I found him.  
  
'Kinkilla!!'  
  
{Yes! I must say that it is rather impressive! Even for me!}  
  
{What did you do!?}  
  
{Oh, nothing truly important. I simply destroyed the energy the dimension needs to support itself!} His mocking gaze reminded me of how truly superior he was, and how much I hated it. {I recognize your energy. You're from this dimension, aren't you?}  
  
I nodded, forcing the lump in my throat to go back from where it came from, and fought the urge to punch him in the face. 'You're not strong enough yet. Just hold on!' I told myself this over and over.  
  
Kinkilla laughed inaudibly, relishing the silence that having no air gave. {HA! Well then have fun! I think I'll just leave you to think about this! I've got worlds to destroy! HAHAHAHA!!!}  
  
Without moving, and too shocked to think of anything to say, I only watched as Kinkilla created his own wormhole and disappeared.  
  
Slowly, I could feel the blood rush to my face as several emotions came rushing in to replace the shock. 'How could he!? How can ANYONE be so HEARTLESS?!?!?!' In my pure, unaltered, and unrestricted fury, I powered up farther than I ever had before. 'KINKILLA!! I'LL KILL YOU!!! IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!! I SWEAR IT!!!' I could see and feel the power surge through me.  
  
And in one last blinding flash of light, I was changed forever.  
  
My power was incredible to me, but in no way foreign. Somehow, it seemed to be a part of me. I had never seen it before, or sensed it, or would have ever guessed it was there. But I somehow felt as if it had always been there, waiting. Waiting for me to find the reason to bring it to the surface.  
  
Still in my rage, I tested my power by sending various blasts in all directions. As I got out some aggression by pointlessly using up my energy, I finally found it in me to calm down.  
  
But my tears told me I wasn't yet totally in control.  
  
It took another hour for me to cry myself dry. And during that time I found myself thinking about my old world. About my family, about my friends, and all those innocent people. Those billions of people on Earth alone, and all the other people on all the other planets. And all the souls in the world of the dead. I had brought him to my world, and the only reason he spared me was because I had angered him. But my world was only one of billions, right?  
  
Then I thought of an even more terrifying thought, and it angered me and scared me in an even greater way.  
  
I realized that my world, my universe was nothing to him. I had slipped his mind as soon as I was out of his sight. But to him, mine was only one of who knows how many he had destroyed. More than just my world, he had killed, murdered, and destroyed far more than just my world. The ease with which he had left was testament to that; he obviously had a lot of practice hopping from dimension to dimension. But why was he still there? Maybe he was waiting for me? Or he could tell that I was coming and came to intercept me.  
  
Most likely, he had stuck around, because I had decided to get there not long after I had left. But how could I be sure? Did he really know who I was? How could he? Or perhaps he just felt an energy suddenly appear and checked it out? Yeah, that was probably it. Just that. 'Man, if I don't slow down, I'm going to confuse myself.'  
  
After I calmed down, I had a chance to look myself over. Blinking the water out of my eyes, I powered up enough to glow and got a glimpse of myself in the glass of my helmet, which, I'm sure, was only just barely holding up.  
  
Besides looking tired and drained, I could see at least one other change. I never powered down, and I could still see the effect it had on me.  
  
If I had ever had any doubt about being Saiyan, they were wiped away with that. I was no Super Saiyan. My eyes, my hair, even my aura was a deep, yet bright brown.  
  
Well, that was unheard of, yet, it still seemed, and felt natural. I didn't have the increased urge for carnage that came with the Super Saiyans. And, the power still seemed to give me a heightened sense of, well, everything! I'm not sure why, but I knew that I was stronger, but I felt almost exactly the same.  
  
"What is this power? I can't be Saiyan, so am I still human?" Thoughts of people on Earth came flooding back to me. Was it possible that all humans could also transform?  
  
I knew of a way to make sure. If I could get Jennifer to do it, that would prove it. And she wasn't too far behind me then. (100x gravity could have that effect on people.)  
  
But what would that make me if she couldn't? I would never know until I found someone who could. But if she could, that would be incredible! It would prove humans weren't as helpless as it seemed they were. It would prove that they really could take care of themselves!  
  
True, for humans, it seemed that it was their intelligence that was their redeeming quality. That their ability to build things such as force fields, ki-dampers (I had some installed in the training room), and even high-force gravity generators. Even the Androids were testament to the ingenuity of the human mind.  
  
But now, with the addition of this incredible power, with the ability to be on par with even the Saiyans. The possibilities were endless.  
  
The Saiyans had always been so barbaric, never having had need of much intelligence with their raw strength. Even when they fought the other race that once inhabited their planet, they simply used raw power to overcome the advanced technology of their foes.  
  
But with intelligence AND power...  
  
The human race really shouldn't be underestimated.  
  
I decided I had better go back. 'Nothing left here. Not even memories.' So I opened a warp portal and glided through.  
  
Once again, I traveled through the emptiness that was my portal back to the world I had come to know pretty well.  
  
I came out of the empty space and saw Jennifer waiting for me. Somehow I knew that she would. But I didn't want to talk about it yet.  
  
Seeing her confusion I remembered that I hadn't yet powered down, so I did so and walked quietly out of the room.  
  
'I won't lose this world like I lost mine. No matter what happens, I would die before I lose this world and the people in it.' I promised myself to keep getting stronger so that I could make a difference.  
  
And I would need to stay strong, because I was at the right age.  
  
Cell would be coming soon...  
  
My eleventh birthday was only weeks away, and that meant it was the same for Gohan.  
  
And I remembered that Cell appeared when Gohan was at just that age.  
  
'Cell. I feel sorry for him if he comes here.' I smiled as I lay in bed, alone. I knew that my power could easily match his before he achieved perfection.  
  
Maybe I could even hold my ground after? No, that wasn't my place.  
  
I just have to stay hidden and not get in the Z-fighter's way.  
  
~~~~~~*** End of Chapter 14 ***~~~~~~  
  
Sorry, it isn't too short, is it? I just needed to make that experience the primary focus of the chapter. I said that she would have problems of her own, didn't I? And now she's even more determined to stop that villain!  
  
Alex: YEAH!!! HAHA! I ROCK!!  
  
Alex Ultra: Did you get into the sugar again?  
  
Alex: Um, no? [Hides the cookie jar behind back.]  
  
Alex Ultra: Okay, I came prepared this time!  
  
Alex: What do you mea... [Falls asleep]  
  
Alex Ultra: Hehe, super powerful tranquilizers. She won't be destroying Detroit today!  
  
Locke: But what about tomorrow? You know how she gets...  
  
Alex Ultra: ... uh. I'm gonna need more tranquilizers...  
  
Nayana: Are you sure? Can't you hold her?  
  
Alex Ultra: Not yet. Not yet... [Evil snicker]  
  
[An android girl walks in, looking like any other girl.] Psuda: Perverted thoughts not included.  
  
Alex Ultra: Ah, to be surrounded by all my characters...  
  
Locke: All?  
  
Nayana: Yeah! Where's Kanoovf?  
  
Psuda: Who?  
  
[In walks an orange man.] Kanoovf: Me.  
  
Psuda: Wow! So you're a character too?  
  
Alex Ultra: Where have you been?  
  
Kanoovf: I was checking the steaks. I think they're almost done.  
  
Alex Ultra: Oh! [Begins hopping around using only his feet while shouting incoherently.]  
  
Psuda: Say hello to Crazed Author 1.0!  
  
Alex Ultra: [Still hopping stiff-kneed] Yeah! I love doing this! And I haven't even had caffeine!  
  
Locke: [Sighs] Why must I be stuck with this lunatic?  
  
Psuda: I can't believe I was created by this maniac!  
  
Nayana: That looks fun!  
  
Alex: [Awakened by the bouncing] Hey! I wanna spaz out too! [Begins hopping alongside Alex Ultra and Nayana]  
  
Alex Ultra: Ha! I'm not so boring NOW am I!?!?  
  
The Others: [Watch on as those three hop around like idiots. Two cat-girls and one guy in Goth wear with an extra-large sword.]  
  
Psuda: [Shrugs] Why not? [Joins in.]  
  
Locke: I'm going... somewhere...  
  
Kanoovf: Me too.  
  
Ah, to be surrounded by all my characters! All the ones that matter anyway. So while I try to calm down, why don't you review? Maybe if I get asked, I can describe some of my characters for you fine people!  
  
Till then,  
  
LATER (Don't worry about me, I'll be fine...) 


	15. Author's Note & Apology

Hello everyone out there. I'm sorry I haven't updated this fic in so long, I really am!  
  
I'm working on the next chapter now, so when I do get it finished it will go here so there's no need to review this Author's Note.  
  
The reason this fic is taking so long is the same reason all my fics haven't been updated in forever, I'm hard pressed to find the time. I assure everyone that I will finish this and other stories, but it can be said that I will not abandon any of my unfinished stories. Because like a cheap novel, you just HAVE to see how it ends! And this includes me, I want to see how it ends (shouldn't I know already?).  
  
So, until some kind of break rolls around, perhaps Christmas break, you probably can't expect much from me for a while. I'm SORRY! I really am! That's why I'm writing this!  
  
I've also decided that I'm going to get a system. If you want to know when a story has or hasn't been updated, look at my author profile. I'm going to put any updates there and when that update occurred. This goes for all of my stories.  
  
So check there every once in a month (or so) and see if anything has changed. (Man, school sucks...)  
  
Sorry again.  
  
Signed,  
  
The Bringer of Hope and Creator of Worlds  
  
Alex and Alex Ultra  
  
LATER 


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